Rapid sustainability assessment of soybean biodiesel in Paraguay
In Paraguay, soybean, along with corn, is currently one of the most widely used alternatives for the production of biodiesel. A rapid assessment of the soybean biodiesel value chain in Paraguay was undertaken over a period of 4 months in 2021 under the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Paraguay and in collaboration with FAO Paraguay and CEAMSO (Centro de Estudio Ambientales y Sociales, Paraguay), to provide initial feedback on critical areas for further analysis and policy needs.
Objectives
The study aimed to rapidly assess the sustainability of the soy biodiesel sector in Paraguay by using the GBEP sustainability indicators.
Activities
The rapid assessment of the indicators describes the legal and political-institutional framework, responds to the need to identify and characterize the soy biodiesel value chain, and presents a methodological approach in the measurement of sustainability indicators. The results provide data that help address the current challenges of industrial production of soy biodiesel at the national level.
The findings of the project, published in the report Evaluación rápida de la sostenibilidad del sector de biodiesel de soja en Paraguay mediante el uso de indicadores GBEP,highlighted that the existing national capacity for biodiesel production is sufficient to meet the current mandate but that there is a need for supporting policies to make the sector economically sustainable. Additional investigation is required into the environmental sustainability of the feedstock production to ensure that the biodiesel production contributes to all environmental goals over and above climate mitigation targets.
The final results of the project were shared with policy makers and relevant stakeholders on 19 October 2021.
