Bioenergy, Land Grabbing and Food Sovereignty: a Geographical Reflection

If the energetic transition towards new sources of renewable energy is now an obligatory and necessary process, as repeatedly recalled by European directives and international agreements, the methods of implementation and the dynamics underlying the change in the energy paradigm do not appear as sustainable. Analysing the spread and the results produced by the processes of land acquisition for bioenergy, major economic, environ- mental, social and territorial imbalances emerge in relation to the diversity of regional contexts, on the cost-benefit ratio of bioenergy sources. The authors are aware of the opportunities and at the same time of the threats arising from the processes taking place in the countryside, both in European countries and in developing countries. They reflect on the need to combine the biomass energy transition with the latest agricultural revolution, aimed at safeguarding: biodiversity, food sovereignty, quality productions and rural landscapes. In order to be able to enhance the elements of positivity and reduce those of conflict, it is always useful to first consider the specific conditions of each regional agricultural reality.