Bioeconomy in Latin America

Abstract

This article provides the authors' view on how Latin America has embraced bioeconomy principles in the last two decades with different levels of socio-economic impact. Examples of biodiversity resource valorization in medicine, eco-intensification of agriculture, biotechnology applications in mature sectors such as mining, food and beverage production, bio-refineries and ecosystem services are provided. The importance of participatory and social innovation initiatives is highlighted.

A Systematic Literature Review of Bio, Green and Circular Economy Trends in Publications in the Field of Economics and Business Management

“…Last, in Latin America two publications analysed the possible adoption of BE principles, emphasising the need for more research, innovation and investment in the area [101,102].…”

Environmental and Socioeconomic Impacts of Urban Waste Recycling as Part of Circular Economy. The Case of Cuenca (Ecuador)

“…The IRR [21] together with the information from local recycling cooperatives and the NGO allied to the recyclers' sector detail the socioeconomic reality of waste pickers. There are quite a few studies on this topic stemming from Latin America [40,[60][61][62][63]. So far, however, there are no scientific studies regarding the contribution of urban mining to the reduction of emissions in Ecuador.…”

Evaluation of bioeconomy in the context of strong sustainability

“…According to its conventional definition, bioeconomy comprises all economic activities related to the development of renewable resources and use of biological products and process (Albrecht et al, 2010;Cristóbal, Matos, Aurambout, Manfredi, & Kavalov, 2016;D'Amato et al, 2017;Dietz, Börner, Förster, & von Braun, 2018;Efken et al, 2016;Golembiewski, Sick, & Bröring, 2015;Ingrao et al, 2018;Loiseau et al, 2016;McKormick & Kautto, 2013;OECD, 2009;Ramcilovic-Suominen & Pülzl, 2018;Sasson & Malpica, 2018). In this regard, bioeconomy is primarily focused on the development of biotechnology, referred to as the biotechnology-oriented approach.…”

“…Arujanan and Singaram (2018) analyzed the bioeconomy development in Malaysia and suggested focusing on accessibility for funding, talent development, government policies, market needs, and industry collaborations. In general, many studies basically stressed the technological or production aspects of bioeconomy (Vandermeulen, Prins, Nolte, & Van Huylenbroeck, 2011;Mohan, Chiranjeevi, Dahiya, & Kumar, 2018;Pellis, Cantone, Ebert, & Gardossi, 2018;Sasson & Malpica, 2018;Maina, Kachrimanidou, & Koutinas, 2017;Tsiropoulos, Cok, & Patel, 2013;Sadhukhana et al, 2018;Scheiterle, Ulmer, Birner, & Pyka, 2018;Song, Cui, & Wang, 2018 and etc.). However, Golembiewski et al (2015) noted that the biotechnology-oriented approach is only a restricted approach of bioeconomy.…”

“…Considering this approach, the sustainable use of biomass is of pivotal importance as a component for sustainable bioeconomy implementation, whereas biomass acts as the main input for the bioeconomy. In the literature, authors (Blumberga et al, 2017;Cristóbal et al, 2016;Hansen & Bjørkhaug, 2017;Juerges & Hansjürgens, 2018;Muizniece, Timma, Blumberga, & Blumberga, 2016;Sasson & Malpica, 2018;Scarlat et al, 2015) also assert that the basic principle of sustainable bioeconomy is the sustainable use of bio-resources. This literature review suggests that there have been two approaches established (biotechnology oriented and sustainable bioeconomy).…”