Global Health

US Creates Institute to Help Feed the World, But Growing Biofuels Will Negate Progress

by Mike Smith

category: Climate Change

Published October 14, 2009 @ 04:14PM PT

A new agricultural research institute launched by the Obama administration and the National Institute of Food doesn't sound like good news for global health, right? More research into how to feed ourselves even more food whilst so many miss out. Not so fast: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack explains that the institute will be international and focus on "global food security and hunger, climate change, sustainable energy, childhood obesity and food safety."

Vilsack is hoping the research will allow U.S. agriculture to continue to compete internationally, whilst simultaneously working to end hunger. The hope is that this new institution will link industry, academia and non-profits with government efforts. It's a much needed push, with so many wondering how we will be able to feed the few billion more people that arrive on this planet by 2050.

But they've got it all backwards if they continue to invest in biofuels, as they plan to do as part of the new institute's work: "Obama has set ambitious but achievable goals for securing America's energy future from new domestic sources, including 60 billion gallons a year from biofuels by 2030."

This is a really bad idea if fighting hunger is a priority. Biofuels either require new arable be created (cutting down rainforest etc) or arable land used for food production is re-purposed in land for biofuels. Doing this in countries that suffer food insecurity and hunger (as often happens) is utter madness. And worse than that, the research indicates that biofuels actually produce more emissions than oil. The benefit of biofuels of course being that they cut our dependence on foreign oil.

So instead of polluting the world with C02, we're going to starve it. Great!

Photo credit: Sam Beebe / Ecotrust