Yesterday Andy from http://www.portugalsmallholding.org/ bought the printed version of Famine in the West. He is interested in low-impact living, and since May has been living on a 2 hectare smallholding in central Portugal. He told Peakfood:
“We are very aware of prices increasing and the instability of world food
etc… that’s one reason why we are here, with our own reliable water
supply, and plans to upgrade our food production capabilities this
winter/spring as well as starting to offer inexpensive courses in
self-suficiency and permaculture type things… to try to help some people
in the coming multi-crisises…
“I have been personally struggling with my family’s struggle in the
economic system… they all seem to be working every hour and still living
on their credit cards… as you say, most people have no idea what is
happening, and more and more are heading our way to set up smallholdings,
learn skills etc… part of me is hopeful that peak oil will slow down
some of the environmental destruction that is being committed in the name
of profits, but also aware that it could go the other way, with so many
people so addicted to the soma of our culture, huge amounts of damage can
and probably will be done in an attempt to survive, as in deforestation in
poorer parts of the world by people seeking firewood…
we have so much education to do… we have so much of society in a
cul-de-sac with no easy way out…
keep up the good work
andy”
Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State, says ‘the points raised by John Gossop on this topic in his book “Famine in the West” are very interesting. In al letter of 9th September 2007 he tells us he has ‘passed a copy to Defra policy officials for them to read.’
We look forward to their comments.
BP and DI Oils signed an agreement in June to create a joint venture thet aims for them to become the world’s biggest producer of jatropha oil by 2011.
There is much excitement about this plant that is said to do well in arid areas and on poor soil. It grows best 25 degrees south or north of the equator and is already being planted in Africa, India and China.
The BP/DI company plans to have nearly three million acres growing by 2011 and will be processing two million tons per year which should provide 18% of Europe’s biodiesel.
While I tend to be a little sceptical about claims that a plant can produce a good crop on poor land with very low rainfall, jatrapha looks as though it will have an important part to play in collecting solar energy for fuel without reducing food supplies and might even help to reduce poverty in Africa and elsewhere.
Biofuels have a very important part to play in the future, as we start to derive our energy needs from present day sunshine instead of using the energy that the sun radiated millions of years ago.
However, setting targets for biofuel use with no regard for the way they are produced can be counter productive. The demand for biofuels in Europe is causing the burning and reclaiming of millions of acres of tropical forests. This releases more carbon than will be saved by growing the fuel crop and shows how badly thought out the European targets are.
In the first place, we need to obtain our biofuels from the straw of normal food crops by efficiently harvesting the whole crop intact and then separate the components to use for both food and energy. At this point the straw is a free asset because no extra energy inputs have been used. As methods for producing ethenol from cellulose become well established we will then be able to obtain more and more energy from waste as well as from biomass produces on poor land or from woodland in a sustainable way.
Biofuel production, as it is done now, has a poor energy balance in that the amount of fossil fuel energy used to grow the crop, transport it and then turn it in to fuel can sometimes be almost as much as the energy in the biofuel.
The second question is if we should be turning food crops in to fuel when world reserve food stocks are running low just at the time when extreme weather events are causing food production problems in many areas.
Second generation biofuels are made from plant-derived waste such as straw, forestry waste or food waste. They can also use purposely grown crops or managed woodland. There are several companies working to produce enzymes cheap enough to make the process viable and the first commercial plants are now being built.
Today The Independent said:
“Short-term, the answer to the ‘food vs fuel’ debate is that the world needs to make tough choices: fossil fuel burning accounts for 75 to 85 per cent of global CO2 emissions; deforestation accounts for 15 to 25 per cent, so we can see where the imperative lies.
“The good news is that ’second generation’ and more innovative biofuels – on a 10-year timescale – pose less tough choices. Biofuels derived from straw, timber, manure, rice husks, agriwaste of any description, even sewage and methane from landfill waste – all could play a part with little detriment to food prices or rainforests. They also tend to be more fuel-efficient and cleaner; the US government claims a 91 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions. Add in hybrid technology in cars, higher agricultural productivity (Malthus was wrong, after all), and suddenly carbon neutrality seems almost achievable.
“If our mighty auto and oil industries bend themselves to that task, then the future can be bright, green and profitable”
The problem is that the timescale is too long if we want to keep CO2 levels down to acceptable levels at the same time as we put off oil and gas depletion. This really should have massive government spending to speed things along.
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