Q1. How do you see the agricultural habits of production in Brazil shifting given the rise in demand for sugarcane for bioethanol?
Locally, there may be significant changes, of course, but nationally I don’t see any major changes. Remember that in the course of history there have been many boom and bust cycles in Brazilian agriculture, some of which led to widespread degradation of natural resources, but none really changed the production patterns very much
Q2. What do you believe is the largest issue arising from the production of bioethanol in Brazil?
It puts a lot of pressure on natural resources (water, forest, soil), and Brazilian producers have not been good at managing these in the past. It has caused ployical pressure for the relation of some environmental protection laws, which we consider a serious issue.
Q3. How do you perceive the role of big business in the Brazilian bioethanol production?
The industry is driven by big business. We consider this entirely appropriate. Small business would not be able to invest that amount of capital or to enter international markets.
Q4. Given the issues arising from its production, do you believe that bioethanol is a realistic alternative to petroleum?
Do you mean environmentally , or economically? Both of these need to be properly calculted, of course: there’s no benefit at producing the product at a “loss” , either economically or environmentally. In the early 1980s, when the World Bank stimulated the use of ethanol for domestic fuel, many people said they had miscalculated the cost and that it was not really economically viable at all, and later on, it seems, the World Bank reversed its policy. So it’s not a simple calculation. Yes, it is an alternative, but not the only one – there are issues associated with all the alternatives (nuclear power, hydro power, solar power….) There is no reason to suppose that the issues of biofuels are insoluble.
Q5. How do you see the production of sugarcane for the manufacturing of bioethanol in a global context?
Makes sense. Every region should use its comparative advantage: we have plenty of land and a favorable climate – let’s use it! The Sahara desert has lots of sun – let them produce solar energy. In Scotland, you couldn’t find enough sunshine to heat a pancake, but the wind blows gales all the time – so let them produce wind energy.
Q6. How do you see the Brazilian production of bioethanol going forward, and specifically through the lens of the rise of the third generation of bio-fuels?
I believe we can meet the challenges – why not?
Q7. How do you feel bioethanol production via sugarcane fits within BrazilIan culture?
Historically, agriculture has followed boom and bust cycles: first sugar, then coffee, then cattle, then…..In the coffee and sugar booms, it was the land that suffered most. If you go to the area of the northwest of Rio de Janeiro state, for example, on the borders of Minas and São Paulo, you can see what I mean: a huge area of degraded land then nowadays producers nothing. With a few hundred km of the biggest population centers of the country, it should be the bread basket, not the basket case: it has been irreparably ruined by bad practices. Now, huge areas are being cleared in the Triângulo Mineiro, Pará, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul for sugar and soybean – how are they going to look 100 years from now?
Q8. How do you view the political pressure that big bioethanol business can exert in Brazil?
We are in the middle of a huge debate in Brazil right now about the revision of the forest law, one of the provisions of which forbid the cutting of forests on river banks. It is this restriction, and others in the law, that irk the large scale mechanized farmers, especially of sugar cane and soy beans, both used for biofuels. Obviously, mechanized farming is more efficient where there are fewer obstacles to the machinery – in other words, where the land use can be planned to fit the needs of the machine and not the environment. Because there very big businesses involved in this, they have powerful support in the Congress and are pretty well set now to force their measure through.
However, this is not a reason to be against biofuels. Biofuel production is a sensible use of land resources for Brazil. But, exactly as with the sugar production in the XVIII C and coffee in the XIX C, if producers don’t use sustainable technology, it will all end in tears (again).
Q9. As someone working in conservation, do you perceive a negative environmental impact resulting from the use of fertilizers, specifically from sugarcane production?
A negative environmental impact resulting from the use of fertilizers: No. You can’t grow sugar cane productively without fertilizers, and trying to grow it without fertilizers would have an worse impact on the soil. There are cases, of course, where improper use of fertilizer has caused /will cause damage, but it it’s not economic to use fertilizers in excess or inefficiently, so most farmers wouldn’t do that.