A sustainable bio-economy, which uses biomass \u2013 organic materials, such as plants and animals and fish \u2013 as opposed to fossil resources to produce food and non-food goods \u201cis foremost about nature and the people who take care of and produce biomass,\u201d a senior UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stated last month. This means family farmers, forest people and fishers, who are also \u201cholders of important knowledge on how to manage natural resources in a sustainable way,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
Maria Helena Semedo, FAO Deputy Director-General for Climate and Natural Resources, stressed how the agency not only works with member States and other partners across the conventional bio-economy sectors \u2013 agriculture, forestry and fisheries \u2013 but also relevant technologies, such as bio-technology and information technology to serve agricultural sectors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must foster internationally-coordinated efforts and ensure multi-stakeholder engagement at local, national and global levels,\u201d she said, noting that this requires measurable targets, means to fulfil them and cost-effective ways to measure progress.<\/p>\n
With innovation playing a key role in the bio sector, she said, all the knowledge \u2013 traditional and new \u2013 should be equally shared and supported.<\/p>\n
Feeding the world, saving the planet<\/p>\n
Although there is enough food being produced to feed the planet, often due to a lack of access, estimates show<\/a> that some 815 million people are chronically undernourished.<\/p>\n \u201cBio-economy can improve access to food, such as through additional income from the sale of bio-products,\u201d said Ms. Semedo who was speaking at the 2018 Global Bioeconomy Summit<\/a> last month in Berlin, Germany.<\/p>\n She also noted its potential contribution to addressing climate change, albeit with a warning against oversimplification.<\/p>\n \u201cJust because a product is bio does not mean it is good for climate change, it depends on how it is produced, and in particular on much and what type of energy is used in the process,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n FAO (\u00a0@FAOKnowledge\u00a0\u00a0)\u00a0 has a longstanding and wide experience in supporting family farmers and other small-scale biomass producers and businesses.<\/p>\n Ms. Semedo, told the summit that with the support of Germany, FAO, together with an international working group, is currently developing sustainable bioeconomy guidelines.<\/p>\n Some 25 cases from around the world have already been identified to serve as successful bioeconomy examples to develop good practices.<\/p>\n A group of women fishers in Zanzibar are producing cosmetics from algae \u2013 opening up a whole new market with sought-after niche products; in Malaysia, a Government programme supports community-based bio-economy; and in Colombia, a community is transforming pineapple skins into biodegradable packaging and honey into royal jelly \u2013 and these are just a few examples of a bio-economy in action.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n About the Author<\/p>\n