Bio-Economy Discussed Controversially

Increasing demand for food, raw materials and energy: Opportunities for the agricultural sector, challenges for food security? is the topic of the 7^th. Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA).

Bio-economy is based on the sustainable use and reproduction of biological resources such as plants, animals and micro-organisms. 50% of national economies are planned to be bio-based by the end of 2050.

The current state of agriculture in Zambia was the starting point of the debate about whether or not bio-economy could be the right approach to the global food production of the future.

Evelyn Nguleka, president of the World Farmers‘ Organisation, sees the overproduction of corn as an additional source of income for small farmers in their home countries. The General Director of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations FAO, José Graziano da Silva, commented in this context that the vast majority of people living in Zambia are suffering from malnutrition despite the overproduction of corn. He recommends that small farmers in Zambia use corn for the production of biofuels and use the money so earned to buy nutrient-rich food.

The concept of bio-economy as a practicable model for the future remains a controversial issue since it presupposes the existence of agricultural areas which are no longer available due to the increasing limitation of resources.

Read more:
Global Forums for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) (2015). Bioökonomie – Wachsende Nachfrage nach Nahrung, Rohstoffen und Energie: Chancen für die Landwirtschaft, Herausforderungen für die Ernährungssicherung?
Link: http://www.gruenewoche.de/de/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/News_6209.html