Brazilian Biofuels Programmes from the WEL Nexus Perspective

Brazil’s biofuel programmes viewed from the WEL-nexus perspectiveThe development of Proalcool followed a trajectory similar to that of other large-scale, capitalintensiveagricultural efforts, and Brazilian policy-makers believed it was failing to reducepoverty and social inequities, which were among the explicit objectives of the programme (Hallet al., 2009). This perception is largely because large economic groups dominate theproduction of biofuels in Brazil and the small distilleries in the case of ethanol, and theinvolvement of family farmers in the case of bio-diesel is very small (Santos and Rathmann,2009).Although one might have expected PNPB to have explicit environmental goals, the Decree thatimplemented PNPB is based on the viability of the production and use of bio-diesel, but doesnot mention sustainability concerns. Also, in defining vegetable oil as the primary material forbio-diesel production, the Decree demonstrates a proclivity towards Brazil’s agriculturalexpansion (Garcez and Vianna, 2009).The comparison between the two programmes suggests that, despite the differences in theirchange models, action models and maturity of the programmes, the outcomes to date are verysimilar. These reflect the general type of results observed in developing countries, with astrong focus on large-scale, capital-intensive agricultural sectors, which affects to some extentthe ISG principles.Besides trespass of ISG principles, the usual barriers for economic development in mostdeveloping countries, such as macroeconomic deficiencies, regulatory problems anduncertainty, precarious infrastructure, poor public services, informality, among others, thereare five factors to be taken into account in feasibility evaluations for such agricultural systems(GTZ, 2005):1 Land with soil and climate suitable for the crop to be planted2 Enough capital, even subsidised, in the first phase3 Suitable technology4 Management knowledge in order to turn productive resources into economicallysustainable activities5 Inclusion in a productive chain of agribusiness (value-systems investments)40