The prospects of developing biofuels in Mali

Abstract

A biofuels race has emerged because of the increasing cost of oil. In parallel, a growing concern for environmental protection has been observed. The expansion of biofuel production has occurred concurrently with raising prices of the foodstuffs. Developing countries like Mali have seen this situation as an opportunity to reduce its dependency on oil imports and generate gains from biofuel production. This development strategy could put pressure on food security in the country. The government of Mali has developed a strategy to promote biofuels production particularly with jatropha. The economic and environmental stakes around this strategy are far from being negligible. In this paper, we provide an analysis of this sector with opportunities and risk of developing this sector