Bioenergy, Food Security and Poverty Reduction: Mitigating tradeoffs and promoting synergies along the Water- Energy-Food Security Nexus

Modern bioenergy is a core ingredient of sustainable economic development as it plays an important rolein poverty reduction and green growth. This makes bioenergy innovations critical, especially in developingcountries where many households and rural communities rely on traditional bioenergy. Managing themultiple tradeoffs among bioenergy use, agricultural productivity, and ecosystem functions is a majordevelopment challenge. Addressing this challenge requires the identification of the drivers, tradeoffs andimpacts of bioenergy production, trade and use in the Water, Energy and Food Security Nexus. The keyobjective of this paper is to provide an analytical framework and assess the track record of policy actions tostimulate modern bioenergy innovation in order to achieve multiple-win outcomes in terms of povertyalleviation, improved health and gender empowerment and environmental sustainability. We begin bydescribing the global trends and drivers in bioenergy production, trade and use. Secondly, we review thestate of the art on impacts and links of bioenergy with the other Nexus components. Thirdly, we suggest aconceptual framework for evaluating the synergies and tradeoffs of bioenergy with other bioeconomic andeconomic activities along the Nexus. Follow-up empirical research at household and community levels inseveral developing countries will be based on this framework. Finally, a discussion on the conceptualframework is enriched by insights on the relevant actors, the tools and mechanisms specific to these actorsfor catalyzing innovations in the bioenergy for development.