In some poor countries the rising
price of vegetable oil is causing problems. Some propose that fuel only be made
from non-edible vegetable oils such as Camelina, Jatropha or seashore mallow
which can thrive on marginal agricultural land where many trees and crops will
not grow, or would produce only low yields. Others argue that the problem is
more fundamental. Farmers may switch from producing food crops to producing biofuel
crops to make more money, even if the new crops are not edible. The law of
supply and demand predicts that if fewer farmers are producing food the price
of food will rise. It may take some time, as farmers can take some time to
change which things they are growing, but increasing demand for first
generation biofuels is likely to result in price increases for many kinds of
food. Some have pointed out that there are poor farmers and poor countries that
are making more money because of the higher price of vegetable oil. There is
ongoing research into finding more suitable crops and improving oil yield.
Other sources are possible including human fecal matter, with Ghana building
its first "fecal sludge-fed biodiesel plant. A group of Spanish developers
working for a company called Ecofasa announced a new biofuel made from trash.
The fuel is created from general urban waste which is treated by bacteria to
produce fatty acids, which can be used to make biodiesel. Another approach that
does not require the use of chemical for the production, it involves the use of
genetically modified microbes.
§
Biofuels impact on food security
§
Nonfood crops for biofuels production
§
Agricultural modernization and its impact on
society and environment