Abstract
Attempts to diversify the energy portfolios of developed countries with green technologies have brought competition between food and fuel for crop production resources to the forefront of public policy debates. Biofuel policies in the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) mandate the long-term use of renewable energy in transportation, independent of production capacity and technical feasibility. Both the US and EU policies explicitly allow for biofuel imports and, hence, have the potential to provide developing countries with export opportunities. For example, the EU is seen as a market that could be supplied with biofuels produced in Kenya. As a result, contentious land acquisitions have been made in Kenya to make way for sugar cane and jatropha cultivation for biofuel production. One potential means of improving the efficiency of Kenya’s agricultural sector is the application of transgenic technologies. The objective of this article is to assess whether a biofuel industry could be developed in Kenya, based on the use of genetically modified (GM) feedstocks to supply the EU demand for biofuel. This article concludes that GM agriculture will improve the economic returns for those Kenyan farmers willing to engage in the production of GM biofuel crops.
Highlights
Interest in producing biofuels has risen significantly in recent years in response to increased instability in international oil supplies, the environmental degradation associated with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and government policies which support the development of energy alternatives to fossil fuels
The European Union (EU) Renewable Energy Directive (RED) offers a premium to second generation biofuels derived from cellulosic conversion relative to first generation technologies as the latter are believed to significantly impact agricultural markets and exacerbate food insecurity
The EU’s stance on biotechnology-based biofuels from an agricultural trading partner would likely rest on environmental concerns; that is, the product satisfies the sustainability criteria, and provenance of coexistence; the absence or acceptable presence of unauthorized genetically modified (GM) crops destined for the European food supply chain
Summary
Interest in producing biofuels has risen significantly in recent years in response to increased instability in international oil supplies, the environmental degradation associated with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and government policies which support the development of energy alternatives to fossil fuels. The application of biotechnology in agricultural production on a commercial scale on the African continent is limited to Egypt, Burkina Faso, Sudan and South Africa (James, 2013), African countries have the greatest need to exploit the power of modern biology to ensure food security (Van Kooten, 2011). An example of this need was found in Kenya, when the Government of Kenya passed the Biosafety Act of 2009 which became operational in the summer of 2011, allowing the production and importation of GM crops to address food shortages (Reuters, 2011). The objective of this article is to analyze Kenya’s biofuel export potential for the EU market demonstrating the potential for GM crops to boost economic returns for African farmers (given strong existing trade relationships between the EU and Kenya, the EU market is the focus of this article; there may well be other markets with considerable potential for biofuels produced in Kenya)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
