A new FAO study has claimed that rapid increases in the large-scale production of liquid biofuels in developing countries could exacerbate the marginalization of women in rural areas and threaten their livelihoods. The study notes that establishment of plantations for biofuel production may create new employment opportunities in rural areas where small farmers, particularly women, will have limited access.   Read more...

Certification not sufficient: Friends of Earth  

Amid global worries about the increasingly tragic impacts of rising food prices, a new report by environment group Friends of Earth, notes that food prices, environment and people left unprotected due to large scale biofuel production. The reports further notes that any attempts to use certification schemes to reduce the widespread environmental and social problems caused by growing crops for fuels and animal feeds are bound to fail.  Read more...

 New conditions for EU’s biofuel objective --

Despite concerns raised by European researchers about a potential impact on world food prices, EU had rejected any proposal to suspend its biofuel objective. Now EU's environment chief has raised new conditions for the use of biofuels in road transport, saying social concerns such as food prices and food security must be taken into account.  Read more...