Biofuelling hunger

ActionAid launches campaign on biofuels

Photo: Atul Loke/Panos/ActionAid

What is going on?

The demand for crops for fuel puts them indirect competition with crops grown for food;

increasing food prices and forcing those struggling even further into poverty

Meet Carlotta Machaule, she lost her land with a farming association to a biofuel company Mozambique and is now fighting to reclaim her rights

Photo: James Oatway/Panos/ActionAid

In 2008 alone the rise in food prices forced 30 million more people into hunger

Purchasing of food with 5,000 Kwacha (US$1) in Lusaka, Zambia, February 2008

Photo: Mwila Mulumbi

Purchasing of food with 5,000 Kwacha (US$1) in Lusaka, Zambia, February 2009

Photo Credit: Mwila Mulumbi

Increased demand for biofuels could push a staggering 600 million people into

hunger by 2020

But how could biofuels do this?

Industrial biofuels are produced from agricultural crops like maize, wheat and sugar

Busiswe Mpulo, maize farmer in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa

Photo : James Oatway/PANOS/ActionAid

Through biofuel production crops intended for food become fuel instead

Image credit: Atul Loke/PANOS/ACTIONAID

Two-thirds of the EU’s biofuels will be imported – with most coming from the developing world

In the developing world agricultural land isbeing used (sometimes seized) to meet the demand for biofuel crops

Photo Credit: James Oatway/PANOS/ActionAid

Photo: worldmapsonline.com

The current land grab is vast. In just 5 African nations an area the size of Belgium (1.1 million hectares) has been set aside

for biofuel rather than food production

To meet EU biofuel demands 17.5 million hectares would be needed, an area over half

the size of Italy!

The UK government is currently looking at increasing the use of biofuels to meetreduced emissions targets

Flickr Photo : Senor Codo

By the end of 2010 two UK refineries could be burning 1 million tonnes of wheat to make

biofuel for UK petrol

1 million tones of wheat contains enough calories to feed the whole nation of Kenya

for 25 days

The amount of corn required to fill the tank of a 4x4 could feed a child for year

Chelimo, aged 9, and her aunt Margaret, northern KenyaPhoto: ActionAid

At 40 meals per gallon that’s not very good mileage...

This biofuels boom will have the greatest effect on women

Photo: James Oatway/PANOS/ActionAid

Women like Elisa Alimone Mongue

Elisa’s family were small holders in Mozambique who grew their own foodand sold the surplus on to generate income

Without her family’s permission a company seized her land to grow industrial biofuels

Photo: Tim Rice/ActionAid

Elisa hasn’t been compensated and now makes reed mats to support her family but finds it hard to pay for food she otherwise would have grown.

If the price of food increases even more, Elisa - like most women in the developing world - might have to reduce her intake of food so the rest of her family don’t go hungry.

So what do people in the UK think about biofuels?

*YouGov poll of 2,000 people

Julio Ngoene, village chief and farmer, Mozambique Photo: James Oatway/Panos/ActionAid

In a recent survey 40% of people think that biofuels cause or contribute to hunger *

32% felt the UK Government should NOT be increasing the amount of biofuel in our petrol*

*YouGov poll of 2,000 people

Photo: Atul Loke/Panos/ActionAid

49% of people have no strong opinions on whether the UK Government should be increasing its use of biofuels*

*YouGov poll of 2,000 peoplePhoto: ActionAid

Maybe it’s time we changed their minds?

Visit actionaid.org.uk/biofuels and1. E-mail the Department for Transport2. Lobby your MP 3. Have your say and join the debate 4. Spread the word and make a difference

Biofuels: Stop the disaster before it happens

“What we want is to get our farms back because that is what ourlivelihood is dependent on... we are dying of hunger and there is nothing that we have that is actually our own.”Matilde Ngoene, mother and farmer,Mozambique, November 2009

Photo: James Oatway/Panos/ActionAid

www.actionaid.org.uk

Figures from YouGov plc: Total sample size was 2000 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 18th - 21st December 2009.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+)