(January 17, 2013) TORONTO, Canada — As the world’s Agriculture Ministers gather in Berlin at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA), the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) is demanding that Ministers include biofuels in their plans to attract agricultural investment and improve food security in the world’s most impoverished areas.

The GFFA is an international political event that includes high level discussions focused on the central issues regarding the future of the global agri-food industry. This year’s topic for the International GFFA Panel Discussion is “Responsible investment in the food and agriculture sectors – A key factor for food security and rural development.”

“It has been shown that developing a biofuels industry can attract significant agricultural investment to the countries that need it most.” said Bliss Baker, spokesperson for the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance.

“Unlike crude oil nations who are prosperous because of their geographic location, a biofuels industry can be developed anywhere because of the wide array of feedstocks. This means any state, especially developing countries, can advance their economy by becoming a biofuel capital,” added Baker.

In 2011, the Food and Agriculture Organization released Making Integrated Food-Energy Systems work for People and Climate, which confirmed that biofuel investment generates investment in agriculture. The study stated that “investment in bioenergy could spark much-needed investment in agricultural and transport infrastructure in rural areas and, by creating jobs and boosting household incomes, could alleviate poverty and food security.”

“The GRFA agrees fully with the Food and Agriculture Organization that biofuels are part of the food security, agriculture and rural development solution,” stated Baker.

Recent case studies done on several developing countries concluded that biofuel investment had a direct impact on agricultural investment, poverty reduction and an increase in economic output. This effect was confirmed in the article, Biofuels, poverty, and growth: a computable general equilibrium analysis of Mozambique, which found that “the proposed biofuel investments increase Mozambique’s annual economic growth by 0.6 percentage points and reduce the incidence of poverty by about six percentage points over the 12-year phase-in period.”

“The GFFA’s International Agriculture Panel should recognize biofuels as part of the solution to the deficit in agricultural investment and call for a biofuels industry expansion in developing countries. The positive boost in agricultural investment will lead to an improvement in their food security,” concluded Baker.

The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting biofuel friendly policies internationally. Alliance members represent over 65% of the global biofuels production from 44 countries. Through the development of new technologies and best practices, the Alliance members are committed to producing renewable fuels with the smallest possible footprint.

For More Information Please Contact:
Bliss Baker
Global Renewable Fuels Alliance
Work: (Country Code “1”) 416-847-6497
Mobile: 647-309-0058
Email: info@globalrfa.org