The State of Food and Agriculture 2008: Biofuels : Prospects, Risks and Opportunities

Only a few years ago, liquid biofuels were widely hailed as green gold - a resource that could mitigate global climate change, promote energy security, and support agricultural producers around the world. Since then, agricultural commodity prices have risen rapidly, and concerns have emerged regarding the full environmental impacts of producing biofuels from an already overburden agricultural resource base. The State of Food and Agriculture 2008 surveys the current status of the biofuel debate, exploring implications for food security, the environment and agricultural development in developing countries. It addresses the biophysical and economic potential of first and second generation biofuels, global and local environmental impacts, agricultural commodity prices impacts, and implications for agricultural development, poverty and hunger. It also explores policy options to ensure positive outcomes for people and the environment. The report also contains an ov