With the increase in crops for Bio fuel will we have to make the choice soon to eat or drive?

Question

Farmers worldwide are transferring their production to biofuel crops because of the profitability BUT at the expense of food crops can we see a big problem emerging here?

Answer 1

Well first thing that needs to be changed is put a end to the land monger's then once everybody has a fare share of property, then let everybody grow what they want, the world is hungry and this screwed up government is paying their club buddies not to farm in order to cause hunger in 3rd world country's that wont run with the flock (NWO) . "Study and take a stand"

"Many of my people will parish though lack of knowledge"

Gods Speed

Answer 2

No. Here in the US there is too much crop ground so the government subsides farmers to NOT plant, this is called "set aside ground" or "CRP ground". If there was a shortage this would not be being implemented. Plus the Democrats just introduced and passed a bill to expand this "set aside ground" program.

Answer 3

Due to high gas prices, we must grow crops to create alternative fuel sources such as biofuels. Potatoes are also used as biofuels.

Answer 4

Oh, I don't think so.  For one thing, we had a surplus of corn in the U.S. and were paying subsidies because the price of corn was below the cost of production, so when oil started going up in cost and it made sense to start developing alternative energy sources, building the ethanol infrastructure using the surplus corn to start off was a good idea-albeit with some unintended consequences.

There is a lot of hype about food or fuel that exaggerates the real situation too-there isn't much being said about the solid byproduct of ethanol production, which is used as feed stock.

And as several people have already mentioned, other biomass will eventually be used, as well as R&D applied to corn itself to yield more energy per bushel.  Although I benefit directly from corn ethanol production, I am really looking forward to the development of biomass ethanol using other agricultural byproducts like corn stalks, algae based ethanol, etc.  And wind energy-good gracious.  I figure in ten years I'll put a wind turbine on my garage roof, a still in my back yard, a gas-electric hybrid in the garage, and bye-bye Shell.  Bye bye BP...Mobil.

But no, I think we are transitioning now and it won't get down to a choice between food or fuel, for all sorts of reasons.

Answer 5

As soon as we develop viable 2nd generation cellulosic biofuels the question will be irrelevant.  If we can produce ethanol from the waste material from food crops such as stalks then there is no need to make the choice between food or fuel.

Answer 6

Many people are worried about this food or fuel problem and there is a "backlash" that is starting to speed up solutions.

There is a story on the front page of the business section of the 06/21/2008 New York Times newspaper titled "U.S. May Free Up More land for Corn Crops"  About 34 million acres are enrolled in the government's biggest conservation program, known as the Conservation Reserve Program.  Last month, the Agriculture Department took the unprecedented step of saying that some conservation land could be used for hay and grazing after the nesting season ends for grass-nesting birds.  As of Friday, more than half a million acres had been signed up for the modification.

   Besides more land for crops, and ethanol from non-food sources as mentioned by another responder, ethanol can also be made from sunflowers, grown on semi-arid land in western Colorado, unsuitable for corn crops.  Companies and Universities are working on high-oil producing peanuts, grown in Georgia.  Plus, US auto companies are following European's lead and are working on (Jeep for one)  clean diesel fueled cars.  Biodiesel, commonly made from soybeans now (40 to 48 gallons of biodiesel per acre yield), can also be made from weeds like mustard seeds, pennycress, camelins (Innovation Fuels company is working on this) with a yield of 80 to 100 gallons of biodiesel per acre.  Global Seawater company is growing salicornia plants in saltwater ponds in the Mexican desert.  Jatropha trees, from India, can be grown in arid non-food crop areas of the US West.  Cloned seedlings, high in oil has an estimated cost per barrel of $43 which edges out every single crop in the USA.  Soybeans are $122 per barrel and sugarcane is $45.

   So people are working on alternatives.