IN FOCUS

ECLAC and FAO Will Use Seminar
to Present Studies on Biofuels

Photo: Lucy Nieto, Flickr

Experts and government officials from around 10 countries will describe the current biofuel situation in Latin America, particularly in terms of emerging opportunities in the field of innovation, at a meeting to be held on 28 and 29 March at the ECLAC headquarters in Santiago.

The meeting, entitled “Dialogue on policies for institutional development and innovation in biofuels in Latin America and the Caribbean”, is being organized by ECLAC and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), with sponsorship from the German agency for international cooperation Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

On the first day, several studies will be presented on the research and production of biofuels in the region, both first-generation biofuels (made with foodstuffs such as maize and sugarcane) and advanced biofuels (made with crop and forestry stubble), as well as the real possibilities for developing this energy source in various countries.

The first study, produced by ECLAC, is called “Economics of biofuels 2010: issues relevant to Latin America and the Caribbean”, and describes the international scene since the 2008 food crisis (according to Adrián Rodríguez, Official in charge of the ECLAC Agricultural Development Unit).

FAO will present the document “Biofuel innovation: a view of the current situation and prospects for Latin America and the Caribbean”, produced with the support of ECLAC, as well as the conceptual framework of the initiative on Bioenergy and Food Security and some results of its implementation in Peru. FAO will also present an ongoing study into sustainability criteria for the development of bioenergy.

The two reports will be the subject of discussions among the meeting’s participants, who are from Germany (GIZ), Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Spain, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru, as well as experts from FAO in Rome, Italy. Their contributions will be incorporated into the final versions of the texts to be published in May.

The dialogue will also involve the presentation of biofuel case studies in Chile and Colombia, as well as comparative research into patents associated with biofuel products in various regions.

Some sessions of the meeting will focus on issues such as biofuels and development, sustainability analysis tools and innovation systems.

Representatives from agencies including the following are also expected to attend: Brazilian Agricultural Research Enterprise, Mexican National Forestry and Agriculture Research Institute, Costa Rican National Biotechnology Innovation Centre and the Spanish Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology Research.

 

 


 

 

 
The "Dialogue on policies for institutional development and innovation in biofuels in Latin America and the Caribbean" is organized by ECLAC and FAO, with sponsorship from the German cooperation.
The first study, produced by ECLAC, is called “Economics of biofuels 2010: issues relevant to Latin America and the Caribbean”, and describes the international scene since the 2008 food crisis (according to Adrián Rodríguez, Official in charge of the ECLAC Agricultural Development Unit).