Some people worry that if we vastly increase the amount of acreage given over to growing crops for biofuels, we will cause food prices to rise, and perhaps a food shortage will result. This debate is termed “food vs. fuel.”
It is true that there is not enough land to grow oilseed crops in order to make enough biodiesel to replace all the petro-diesel currently being used. Instead, biodiesel can be seen as just one possible use for oil and fat. It can be seen as an alternative source of income for farmers. Some farmers choose to grow oilseed crops (such as canola and camelina) in rotation with other food crops.
Often, oils and fats are byproducts of other food production processes. For example, oil is extracted from soybeans in order to produce soybean meal – a popular animal feed. Excess fat is trimmed from meat. Using this oil or fat to make biodiesel does not cut into food production.
Biodiesel can also be made from non-food sources, such as algae, waste grease, and oil from plants that can grow on land unsuitable for crops. These feedstocks will not compete for land with food crops.
For more information, see Biodiesel and the Food vs. Fuel Debate.
