Biomass as an energy resource is classified into waste and crops. Wastes are used as fuels in electric power generation with refuse incineration. Food crops which are rich in carbon dioxide or oil are also used for energy, especially as bio-fuel. Sugarcane and other sugar- or starch-rich crops are fermented by yeast and other microorganisms and ethanol is produced, which can be purified into fuel-grade ethanol. Vegetable oils can be transformed into bio-diesel through chemical reactions, which can be used by most conventional cars without alteration of the engine.

However, there is a common objection to bio-fuel produced from food crops, called “food versus fuel controversy”. Skeptics believe agricultural production will be diverted away from food crops in developing regions which suffer from hunger. Here we will introduce two views on this issue, both from pro-bio-fuel policy organizations but with differing opinions.

The Foundation for Alternative Energy (FAE), a Slovakia based non-governmental organization, expresses an optimistic view regarding this controversy saying it has been exaggerated in many cases. It stresses the argument should be based on “the real situation of food supply and demand” including under-utilized agricultural production potential, the increased potential for agricultural productivity, and the advantages and disadvantages of producing bio-fuels.They exemplified the case of Brazil, which is famous for its pro-alcohol fuel program. The food shortages and price increases that Brazil suffered a few years ago were blamed on the pro-alcohol program.

food crops, only 1.7 million ha was used for ethanol production. Furthermore, crop rotation with sugarcane, the principal material for bio-fuel production in Brazil, has led to an increase in food crop production, while some by-products such as hydrolyzed bagasse (residue of squeezed sugarcane) and dry yeast are used as animal feed.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) provides a different opinion to this issue. They say, although ethanol production from maize can be expanded greatly, its primary use is for animal feed and food products. Starches such as those in the maize kernel and sugars make up only a very small portion of available biomass materials. Cellulose and hemicellulose form the bulk of most plant materials including many materials now regarded as waste. Making ethanol from cellulose and hemicellulose dramatically expands the types and amount of available feedstock for bio-fuels. Currently, cellulosic ethanol is kept from commercial availability due to high costs and technological uncertainty. However, after these hurdles are overcome, it is expected to become an important supplement of food crop origin bio-fuels.

Demand for bio-fuel is growing rapidly. In 2003, 6.9 per cent of the cars purchased in Brazil functioned with alcohol (NEDO, 2004). U.S. bio-diesel use increased from about 7 million gallons in 2000 to more than 20 million gallons in 2001 (DOE). Increasing bio-fuel demand can result in greater benefits not only for the environment but also for the agricultural economy by improving farmers' income because the most common food crops which are used as materials for bio-fuel are secondary crops, which can be grown in marginal areas where there is no comparative advantage for growing major crops. One major bottleneck of these secondary crops’ production, is the lack of appropriate demand. If bio-fuel demand can stimulate secondary crop production and if there is under-utilized land suitable for these crops, then the controversy can be solved by using potential productivity in marginal areas. As the market is immense (just think about current petroleum fuel consumption), starch ethanol will be able to coexist with cellulosic ethanol

Written by Tomohide Sugino, Project Leader, AGRIDIV Project, UNCAPSA, Bogor, Indonesia