Bioenergy in Developing Countries: Experiences and Prospects
DANIEL M. KAMMEN
BIOENERGY ANDAGRICULTURE: PROMISES AND CHALLENGES FOR FOOD, AGRICULTURE, AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Focus 14, December 2006
Biomass energy programs offer a wide range of potential benefits
for developing countries. Already traditional biomass products
like firewood, charcoal, manure, and crop residues provide the main
source of household energy use for some 2–3 billion people in the
developing world, and this demand is likely to grow in the years
ahead. But new technologies for commercial energy production from
biomass are emerging that could lead to dramatic new opportunities
for agriculture and the rural sector, as well as help developing
countries reduce their dependence on expensive oil imports. Both the
traditional and the new options for biomass energy pose challenges
that will require technology and policy solutions to ensure efficient,
healthy, and environmentally sustainable outcomes.
2020 Vision for Food, Agriculture and the Environment
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