Biofuel production in Brazil may not hurt Amazon, food supply
Biofuel production in Brazil may not hurt Amazon, food supply
mongabay.com
August 21, 2008
Biofuel production in Brazil will not affect food production or the Amazon rainforest in coming years, claimed a study released Tuesday by an economist in Sao Paulo.
Fábio Silveira of Brazil’s RC Consultores said that expansion of the current area of agricultural production could meet future demand for ethanol and biodiesel production without the need to clear more rainforest.
“It is possible to triple Brazilian ethanol production without having any impact on the price of food or threatening the Amazon rainforest,” the author was quoted as saying by local media.
Silveira’s comments echo those senior government officials who say that production on degraded lands could meet Brazil’s agricultural goals.
Nevertheless expansion of soy and oil palm in the Amazon suggests that this environmental optimism is premature. Brazilian and Malaysian developers recently announced a plan to add 100,000 hectares of oil palm plantations near Tefe in the state of Amazonas, while the area of soy cultivation in the region continues to grow and is a key impetus for infrastructure development that drives furthe deforestation.
Climate change to hurt Brazil’s farm exports by 2020
(8/11/2008) Climate change could have a significant impact on thye value of Brazil’s agricultural exports according to a study presented Monday at an agribusiness conference in Sao Paulo, reports the Financial Times.
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