Rural Economy and Bioethanol Production

• Published in: Sustainability 2016-11, Vol.8 (11), p.1148-1148
• Main Author: Stefanescu-Mihaila, Ramona Olivia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Biodiesel fuels; Biofuels; Community; Economic development; Environmental economics; Farmers; Farms; Food; Quality of life; Rural areas; Rural development; Sustainability
• ISSN: 2071-1050; 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su8111148

Biofuels are considered part of the potential sources of mitigation for the serious threat of global warming, by reducing human reliance on oil imported from unsafe sources at ever increasing costs. For the classic fuel supplier countries, biofuels are a source for the future, as local materials are used in their production. They generate jobs for the local population and do not require the importation of costly equipment and relevant expertise. A pioneer in the use of biofuels, Brazil has eliminated all oil imports and become energy independent. Recognising the positive effects of biofuel use, the EU and other countries are rapidly developing potential sources of their own biofuels. One of these sources could be agricultural cultures that are able to be developed under optimum conditions by endorsing and using modern and sustainable means and techniques in the rural economy. The sustainable use of the resources and the maintenance of the ecosystems in a good working order claims both the protection of the environment itself and the success of the farmers via the provision of fertility and productivity of the agricultural ecosystems, which will give them the leverage of competitiveness on the market and food safety in the long term. The paper herein intends to point out at a sustainable manner of having the economy's engine function-i.e., agriculture-by means of advocating for the efficient use of the resources within the farms and their associations, along with the support for the transition to a low-carbon economy, thanks to the progress in the bioethanol production.