Biofuels and Food Security – Are they compatible?

cork | environment | event notice Tuesday May 27, 2008 20:05 by EDA Cork - Ethical Development Action edacork at gmail dot com

Ethical Development Action (EDA), a Cork-based development group, is hosting a one-day conference to examine the role of biofuels in food security. The conference will be held on Friday 13th June 2008 at the Gresham Metropole Hotel, Cork, Ireland.

A confluence of causes has contributed to this surge in food prices, including continuing growth in the world population, changing diets and more meat consumption, as well as a sharp increase in the cultivation of land for biofuels. The growing emphasis on biofuels, which allows nations increase security of energy supply and reduce CO2 emissions from transport, is contributing to these jumps in food costs. Ethical Development Action, a Cork-based development group, is hosting a one-day conference to examine the role of biofuels in this rapidly unfolding crisis.

The conference brings together speakers from the developed and developing world to assess the impact of biofuels on global food security. Speakers from Ethiopia and Brazil will discuss the impacts faced by one of the main food-importing countries in Africa, and the major food and biofuel exporter of South America. A speaker from Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) will highlight the worrying trends in global food security over the past year as commodity prices soar and will discuss FAO's experience with pro-poor biofuel projects.

Speakers from Ireland will describe the latest developments in the EU and Irish markets on biofuel policies and technological breakthroughs. The impact of the developed country biofuel policies on developing countries will also be discussed, to explore how sustainable compatibility of biofuel production and food security can be moved forward.

Speakers to include:
Negusu Akililu, Environmentalist, Ethiopia
Camilla Moreno, Terra de Direitos, Brazil
Mirella Salvatore, FAO, Italy
Colin Campbell, ASPO, Ireland
Jerry Murphy, University College, Cork, Ireland
Tom Crowley, Trocaire, Ireland
J.J. Kavanagh, Irish Farmers Association, Ireland
Bernard Rice, Teagasc, Ireland
Colin Roche, OXFAM
Steve Thornhill, EDA

Further Information available from John Slattery on 021 4821229 or Steve Thornhill on 087 2126850