The complex linkages between the food supply, its impact on requirements of water and energy; energy and its impact on food storage, transportation and requirement of water; and how availability of water has impact on both energy and food are far from fully understood. Globally, this nexus has recently been recognized. Globally, irrigation water allocated to biofuel production is estimated at 44 km3, or 2% of all irrigation water. Implementing all current national biofuel policies and plans would take 30 million hectares of cropland and180 km3 of additional irrigation water.

Under current production conditions it takes an average of roughly 2,500 liters of water (about 820 liters of it irrigation water) to produce 1 liter of liquid biofuel. ICID Working Group on Water for Bio-Energy and Food (WG -BIO-ENERGY) is evolving “ICID’s position on Water for Bio-Energy and Food” taking into consideration the possible conflict between food production and the production of bio-fuel crops and use of agricultural water to produce bio-fuel crops and the use of non-food crops and marginal water/soils recycled water for the to produce bio-fuels. The WG also looks into the technical requirements to ensure viable production of bio-fuel crops without government financial support and use of agricultural waste for the production of bio-fuel crops.

TF-BIO-ENERGY renamed as WG BIO-ENERGY at the 64th IEC meeting, Mardin, 2013.

• Permanent Committee on Strategy and Organization (PCSO)
• Permanent Committee on Technical Activities (PCTA)
• Task Forces (TF)
• Completed/ Past Workbodies