The Bioenergy and Water Nexus

Energy and water are crucial to development. Bioenergy's water demands are in large part linked with feed stocks such as crops, which in turn has important implications for sustainable agriculture, land use and food production. Land use affects bioenergy with implications for not only food security, but also biodiversity and the impact such energy may have on aggravating or cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Current and future planning in respect to bioenergy also needs to reflect increasing and competing needs for the same raw materials for uses such as food, fodder and fibre as the world population climbs to around nine billion over the next 40 years. Combining food and bioenergy productions systems can deliver win to wins in terms of energy and food security with benefits in terms of livelihoods, employment and greenhouse gas emissions.