This book performs a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis to examine the current food crisis and how it relates to the use of crops for energy. It analyses how energy crops may help solve humankinds environmental changes and summarises the economic and practical changes of cultivating and utilising energy crops. Two of humanitys greatest challenges are the need for more food production as well as growing demands for energy. Biofuel cultivation has been identified as a solution to growing energy use, and biomass power plants offer a rare renewable energy source that requires only basic technology.
In this context, a dilemma arises concerning whether energy crops should be used for energy or to help remedy the food crisis. SWOT analysis allows us to organise and weigh different pros and cons against each other in terms of economics, job creation, environmental impacts, the climate change agenda, and European Union (EU) directive
s that promote biofuels over fossil fuels. By pursuing this approach, the book helps researchers and decision-makers cut through the many competing arguments in connection with this complex subject.
Global nutritional need- The Energy problem.- Bioenergy - Biomass - Energy crops.- Biofuels.- Biomass-Biofuels and Sustainable approach.- Using Energy Crops for Biofuels or Food:the Choice.- Methods.- Results and Discussion.- Alternative strategies.- Conclusions.
Mrs Annoula Paschalidou graduated from the School of Geotechnical Sciences, Department of Agriculture at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (19791984). She studied Landscape Architecture at the School of Agricultural Technology, Kavala Institute of Technology (20062011) and holds a Masters degree (M.Sc.) in Environmental Design of Cities and Buildings, School of Science and Technology from the Hellenic Open University, Greece (20092013). Since 20l"