Keywords
biodiesel, family farmers, cause maps, system dynamics, brazil
Start Date
1-7-2012 12:00 AM
Abstract
In Brazil, the inclusion of family farmers into the biodiesel production chain is one major goal of the National Program for the Production and Use of Biodiesel (PNPB) implemented in December 2004. Seven years after the start of the program, several obstacles remain and the social sustainability of the measures can be ques-tioned. To understand the dynamics and interdependencies of the complex system of biodiesel production in rural areas, a case study is conducted in the North of Mi-nas Gerais, a dry and poorly developed rural area characterized by smallholders. Several workshops and interviews will take or have already taken place over a four-year period to involve stakeholders in the process of identifying problems and plan-ning future land cultivation scenarios. To get an understanding of the stakeholders’ views on the system of biodiesel production cause maps were constructed together with them. The analysis shows that the perspectives vary quite a lot between them which is probably one of the reasons for the partly failure of the goals of the pro-gram. Despite the differing views an aggregated cause map could be drawn and the most important key variables could be identified. The final aim is a system dynamics model which simulates – based on the current situation – actual and future socio-economic impacts of the biodiesel production. The model can help stakeholders to understand the crucial dependencies of the biodiesel system and their possibilities to act.
A conceptual approach tackling the question: Can “bio”-fuels become a synonym for social progress in remote areas in Brazil?
In Brazil, the inclusion of family farmers into the biodiesel production chain is one major goal of the National Program for the Production and Use of Biodiesel (PNPB) implemented in December 2004. Seven years after the start of the program, several obstacles remain and the social sustainability of the measures can be ques-tioned. To understand the dynamics and interdependencies of the complex system of biodiesel production in rural areas, a case study is conducted in the North of Mi-nas Gerais, a dry and poorly developed rural area characterized by smallholders. Several workshops and interviews will take or have already taken place over a four-year period to involve stakeholders in the process of identifying problems and plan-ning future land cultivation scenarios. To get an understanding of the stakeholders’ views on the system of biodiesel production cause maps were constructed together with them. The analysis shows that the perspectives vary quite a lot between them which is probably one of the reasons for the partly failure of the goals of the pro-gram. Despite the differing views an aggregated cause map could be drawn and the most important key variables could be identified. The final aim is a system dynamics model which simulates – based on the current situation – actual and future socio-economic impacts of the biodiesel production. The model can help stakeholders to understand the crucial dependencies of the biodiesel system and their possibilities to act.
