The real impact of biofuels on food security and food prices were discussed during a recent workshop, reports an article on the Climate Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) website.

“We reached a preliminary agreement that world market oil and food prices do not have a big influence on local food prices in developing and less developed countries, which are influenced by local conditions,” said Morten Gylling, Senior Research Adviser at the University of Copenhagen.

Among the other speakers at the event was Navin Sharma, Biofuel Programme Manager with the World Agroforestry Centre.

The intention of the workshop was to not only look back but also forward and generate an assessment of the current interplay between biofuels and food security and recommendations for future directions relevant for researchers and decision-makers.

Sessions covered the topics: economic security and development, energy security, environmental security, biofuels and food price volatility, institutional aspects, innovation and consequences of interaction, and integration and cross-cutting issues.

The workshop was organized by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and supported by the World Agroforestry Centre, Climate-KIC Nordic and a range of other organizations. More than 60 participants attended from USA, Brazil, Columbia, South Africa, Malawi, UK and Denmark.

Read the full story: Climate-KIC Nordic supported workshop on Biofuels and Food Security Interactions

For more information on the workshop, see: www.ifpri.org/event/workshop-biofuels-and-food-security-interactions