Food not fuel: agrofuels, food prices and hunger

This briefing by Friends of the Earth International examines the relationship between agrofuels and global food prices, arguing that biofuel mandates and subsidies contribute to price volatility and hunger. The document details how agrofuels divert crops from food production and strengthen the link between food and oil prices, while also highlighting the social impacts of 'land grabbing' in Africa and human rights abuses in Asia and Latin America.

• Agrofuels are identified as a major driver of food price increases and volatility. The document states that the majority of studies conclude agrofuels increase food prices, a fact that the UN Committee on World Food Security notes is hardly contested today.
• Agrofuels impact food prices through several mechanisms: they create additional demand for land and crops, tighten the market for specific food crops, and create a stronger correlation between food and oil prices because oil becomes both an input and an output of agriculture.
• High food prices have had severe impacts on global poverty. Following the 2008 spike, the FAO estimated 100 million more people entered chronic hunger and poverty, while the World Bank estimated 44 million people were pushed into poverty between June and December 2010.
• The document refutes industry claims that agrofuels have a negligible impact due to small land use. It notes that since 2001, agrofuels have represented 70% of incremental demand for maize, 90% for rapeseed, 47% for soybean oil, and 22% for palm oil.
• The expansion of agrofuels is linked to 'land grabbing' and human rights violations. Friends of the Earth documented 5 million hectares of land acquired for agrofuels across 11 African countries, and reported abuses related to palm oil in Indonesia and jatropha in India.
• International institutions including the World Bank, OECD, and WTO have concluded that food prices are substantially higher due to biofuels and have recommended that G20 governments remove policies that subsidize or mandate their production and consumption.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (n.d.). Food not fuel: agrofuels, food prices and hunger. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Food-not-Fuel.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. Food not fuel: agrofuels, food prices and hunger. n.d. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Food-not-Fuel.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=Food not fuel: agrofuels, food prices and hunger |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Food-not-Fuel.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternationalndfood, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{Food not fuel: agrofuels, food prices and hunger}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Food-not-Fuel.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }