Converting biomass to bioenergy should be encouraged under certain conditions in the West African Economic and Monetary Union, the UNF said in a report commissioned by the group, whose French acronym is UEMOA.
Created in 1994, UEMOA's member states are Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo.
"UEMOA member countries have the natural resources, the land availability and the demand to improve agriculture productivity and develop bioenergy successfully," said the report published on the occasion of World Food Day.
The region faces "a crisis in three key commodities -- food, wood and fuel. ... Past experience, innovation and new practices in bioenergy offer an option for deprived rural communities," the report says.
Opportunities for bioenergy development include the production of bioethanol from sugarcane and sweet sorghum; the use of liquid biofuels for small-scale electricity generation and adapting diesel engines to run on biofuels.
The report warns however that without well-designed policies, bioenergy development will compete with food production.
"Adopting sustainable forestry practices and reforesting areas that currently produce fuelwood are a vital early step in expanding bioenergy resources and limiting competition with food crops," it urged.
"Locally produced and consumed bioenergy has the potential to be a pivotal element in the fight against rural poverty," said UNF, a charitable foundation created in 1998 by American billionaire Ted Turner, founder of the CNN television news network, to support UN operations.
"Good policies must focus on the impact of bioenergy development on food security, the preservation of the environment and ecosystems, and the integrity and viability of the agricultural production system," it added.
Referring to UEMOA's blueprint for action on sustainable bioenergy for 2009-2011, the UNF report said international cooperation would be essential for its implementation.
The International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development and the Energy and Security Group also helped compile the report.
© 2008 AFP
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