LAC regional IAAE Inter-conference Symposium on the Bio-economy, 19-20 September ’11, CIAT, Cali, Colombia
Symposium CONCEPT NOTE
Executive Summary
A society less dependent on fossil fuels is very different from the one we know today, more decentralized, with smaller scale requirements, with different intersectoral – rural/urban, industrial/agricultural, etc. – and international trade relations as a consequence of the changing balance in strategic resources. All this is leading to a new economic landscape (comparative advantages, country, sectors, products’ competitiveness), and is demanding – as in any new scenario – new policies and institutions to contain and to steer actors’ behaviours as to optimize potential benefits and minimize transitional costs for all involved. In this context, the objective of the concept note is to introduce the bioeconomy concept, its drivers, and main areas of work and impact to help identify the themes were more socioeconomic analysis is needed in order, for society in general and policy makers in particular, to better understand and steer the emerging bioeconomy in the specific context of the Latin American and the Caribbean countries.
Currently society is facing a “more with less” food, energy and environment conflict scenario. Future needs will demand a significant production and productivity increase, but to address these needs, there will be increasing difficulties in relaying on existing practices, as current energy sources will become more scarce, hence more expensive, not to mention the negative environmental consequences that could be expected from a “business as usual” projection of present production strategies. This transition is, however, a gradual process involving substantial changes in many aspects, including both technological approaches as well as cultural and institutional structures, public policies and investment patterns. This scenario is not a new situation. The world has faced – and solved – similar dilemmas before. What is different this time is the scale and complexity of the needed action.
The bioeconomy concept based on the diversification and increased efficiency of natural resources use, is a response to the perceived challenges.2 Even though at present the potential competition between food and energy or other uses, may be seen as a source of concern, in a longer term perspective – when all technical, institutional and policy transitions are completed – the bioeconomy most likely is a positive rather than a negative item in the balance. A first aspect that should be brought to bear in connection to the food
1 Prepared by Eduardo J. Trigo, Director, Grupo CEO S.A., Buenos Aires, Argentina, as an input for the LAC regional IAAEA Inter-conference Symposium on the Bio-economy, 19-20 September, Cali, Colombia. 2 For the purpose of these notes the bioeconomy is understood as “the application of knowledge in life sciences in new, sustainable, environmentally friendly, and competitive products” (EC 2005), and «.... encompassing all those sectors and their related services which produce, process or use biological resources in whatever form” (German Bio-economy Council, 2010)
 | IAAE-CIAT_EJT_ Concept Note (draft 29-08-2011).pdf 313 kb |
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