Biofuel Production versus Food Security in Kenya

Abstract

Biofuels are essential to fulfilling the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which place a strong emphasis on ensuring global food and energy security. It is critical to comprehend how managing natural resources, producing biofuels, and ensuring food security are related. A study of the literature suggests that food security may be impacted by the production of biofuels, but further research is needed. The development of biofuels has detrimental effects on the environment and other factors, but it benefits food security.

The purpose of the essay is to add to the existing discussion over Kenya's "biofuel or food security." This is due to the fact that more than 80% of people depend on agriculture, necessitating the need for innovation. Its primary goals are to: a) investigate how combining biofuel and food production can result in sustainable natural resource use; b) list the crops that should be grown to meet both food and energy needs; c) examine the financial incentives for pursuing biofuel energy technologies.

Using in-depth literature review and interviews with key informants, the paper adopts a qualitative research design. Ten Kenyan enterprises that produce biofuels were used as the key informants. The main finding is that food security and biofuel production are not mutually exclusive but rather complementing. It is recommended that policymakers offer appropriate incentives to increase investment in Kenya's biofuel energy generation.