We are shocked at the callous manner in which Oxfam, who pretends to speak on behalf of the world’s poor, can so blatantly dismiss biofuels whenthey offer the developing world the first opportunity in decades—if not ever—to build a sustainable industry that would give them access to added value markets while increasing food and fuel security. In its report on biofuels today, Oxfam claims that increased food prices related to biofuel production will drag 30 million people into poverty while diminishing the opportunities that biofuels in fact holds for developing countries. While researchers admit that biofuel production has led to a partial increase in global food prices, there is no conclusive evidence as to how much of an effect there actually is. Yet what is clear is that small scale biofuel projects can create opportunities for farmers while giving rural people access to cheap, green electricity that they would never have been able to access before due to high electricity prices attached to a sporadic national grid. Large scale projects leverage financing from global markets that not only increase locallyproduced fuel and reduce dependence on expensive imports that stifle economic growth, but also offer opportunities to export value added products that add to a country’s foreign exchange earnings.

The question of biofuels is two fold: good biofuels vs. bad biofuels, and good biofuel policy vs.bad biofuel policy. The author of Oxfam’s report ignores examples of good biofuel policy in Africa, like in Mozambique where an extensive land mapping scheme is underway to allow the country to plan where biofuels should be grown that won’t compete with food production. Mozambique’s plan for further zoning is a model for the rest of the continent in developing their biofuel policies. “Thanks to abundant, fertile land combined with a climate conducive to ‘good biofuels’ like sugarcane, sweet sorghum and jatropha, many parts of Africa have the opportunity to develop sustainable biofuels for their own use and for the world market. It took Brazil 30 years to become the biofuel powerhouse it is today. With proper investment, and attention paid to sustainable policies, Africa can learn from Brazil and match it in the next decades.

Source:PANGEA which works to encourage biofuel production in Africa as a way to promote sustainable economic development using what Africa does best—agriculture. By adding the technology of Brazil, India and others to the mix, agriculture becomes something that Europe needs‐sustainably produced biofuels. PANGEA provides that link.