Biofuels and Rural Poverty makes a unique contribution to the current controversial global debate on biofuels, in particular the consequences that large-scale production of transport fuel substitutes can have on rural areas, principally in developing countries but also in some poor rural areas of developed countries. Three key concerns are examined with a North-South perspective: ecological issues (related to land use and biodiversity), pro-poor policies (related to food and land security, gender and income generation) and equity of benefits within the global value chain. Can biofuels be pro-poor? Can smallholder farmers be equitably integrated in the biofuels global supply chain? Is the biofuels supply chain detrimental to biodiversity?

Most other books available on biofuels take a technical approach and are aimed at addressing energy security or climate change issues. Biofuels and Rural Poverty makes a particularly original contribution by looking at the production of biofuels from another perspective: the role of biofuels in reducing rural poverty.

Table of Contents:

Introduction * The Energy Dimension of Rural Poverty * What is the Role of Large Scale Liquid Biofuel Production in Rural Communities? * What Ecological Changes does Large Scale Liquid Biofuel Production Bring to Rural Areas? * Do Liquid Biofuels Address Energy and Poverty? * What Helps Overcome the Negative Aspects of Biofuels?