Within the framework of DPRN, a group of Dutch NGOs and research institutes established the Agrofuels Platform to promote a discussion on the social and ecological effects of agrofuel production and the resulting policy dilemma’s.
The Agrofuels Platform is a joint initiative of Both ENDS Foundation, IUCN Netherlands Committee, IUCN’s knowledge network Natureandpoverty.net, the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research of the University of Amsterdam, Mekon Ecology, Alterra and the Law and Governance Group of Wageningen University, ETC International, Cordaid, Leiden University and the Centre for International Cooperation of the VU University, Amsterdam.
The platform aimed to: (i) provide an overview of the available scientific knowledge; (ii) analyse the perspectives (and associated assumptions and underlying motives) of various stakeholders; and (iii) bring policymakers, NGOs and researchers together to debate the effects of agrofuel production and the appropriate policy responses. Some of the main activities by the Agrofuels Platform are mentioned below.
Biofuels WIKI
The Agrofuels Platform made use of a WIKI to share relevant documents with a broader audience – both experts and the general public. The website is coordinated by Natureandpoverty.net, which is the knowledge network of IUCN National Committee of The Netherlands. It provides access to hundreds of documents on biofuels in general and agrofuels in particular. The documents cover a wide range of topics, from the environmental and social effects of production to criteria setting and policies. There is also a section on policy recommendations made by NGOs. The website is open to anyone interested in the topic.
Discussion paper
The Agrofuels Platform wrote a discussion paper providing an overview of the current knowledge regarding social and environmental effects of agrofuel production. In addition, the paper provides an overview of the positions of various relevant stakeholders. Policymakers at various ministries in the Netherlands were interviewed in order to obtain information concerning the assumptions on which they base their policies. The paper formed the input for a multi-stakeholder meeting in The Hague on 18 February 2010.
Seminars
The platform organised two seminars. Firstly, there was a workshop at the CERES Summer School on 3 July 2009, where researchers presented case study material, discussed approaches and methodologies, and addressed the role of knowledge in policymaking processes. A total of 32 participants attended the workshop, including researchers, practitioners and representatives of the private sector.
Secondly, the platform organised a discussion between scientists, practitioners and policymakers in The Hague on 18 February 2010. The meeting was attended by some top-level scientists and policymakers from the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and people from the Corbey Commission and Agentschap NL (Ministry of Economic Affairs). The discussions revealed, among other things, the uncertainties in scientific models, the gaps between different schools of knowledge and the incoherence between ministries. For more information on the outcomes of the seminar click here.