Bioeconomy—A Systematic Literature Review on Spatial Aspects and a Call for a New Research Agenda

Abstract

Over the last 10 to 15 years, bioeconomy (BE) has evolved to a widely accepted alternative to the dominant use of finite raw materials around the globe. One of the essential prerequisites for the sustainable implementation of this future-oriented economic system is the consideration of spatial framework conditions. This review assesses whether spatial aspects are addressed in the scientific discourse on the bioeconomy. Between 2010 to 2021, 8812 articles were published dealing with the thematic field of bioeconomy. Using a keyword list covering themes related to spatial issues, 107 articles were identified. It was possible to demonstrate that spatial aspects are rarely discussed and large research gaps are evident. These gaps relate, for example, to the development of planning instruments for the protection of agricultural land or the assessment of the influence of intensification of agriculture on biodiversity or the multifunctionality of landscapes. In addition, the social aspects of transitioning to a bioeconomy, the role of regional planning with respect to decentralised versus centralised models, and the influence of policy and governance to foster a sustainable transition process and to avoid land use conflicts are all topics which need to be addressed in research. Based on these results, a research agenda was developed covering these and further issues to enable a sustainable spatial implementation of different forms of bioeconomy.

An Adapted Indicator Framework for Evaluating the Potential Contribution of Bioeconomy Approaches to Agricultural Systems Resilience

“…Both types of urban agriculture, urban farming and urban gardening, integrate food and biomass production into urban metabolisms. Sustainable urban agriculture could become a key concept for food production in the bioeconomy, [ 150 ] connecting consumers and producers. Food is either produced by the consumers themselves (urban gardening) or by professional producers in cities (vertical indoor farming).…”

“…The interlinked diversity and multifunctionality of the BAs can contribute to greater adaptability of agricultural systems if their implementation in the spatial and site‐specific context is well planned. [ 11,150,162 ]…”

“…[ 58,211 ] Digital tools can also support the consideration of spatial aspects in the planning of BAs implementation in order to promote biodiversity, maintain the multi‐functionality of landscapes, and avoid land‐use conflicts. [ 150 ]…”

“…The interlinked diversity and multifunctionality of the BAs can contribute to greater adaptability of agricultural systems if their implementation in the spatial and sitespecific context is well planned. [11,150,162] One important contribution of the BAs to adaptability is that all of them offer farmers a diversification of business and income opportunities. Classical diversification enables the establishment of new fields of business activity that do not originally form part of agricultural production.…”