From the petroeconomy to the bioeconomy: Integrating bioenergy production with agricultural demands

Abstract

Production of biomass for bioenergy generation, and in particular production of biologically derived liquid fuels, is attracting great interest as an alternative to the fossil fuel economy. Biofuels represent as yet only 1% of world agricultural output, but this small extension has triggered widespread fears, many now shown to be groundless, such as the fear that it was biofuels that drove up food prices in 2008. This perspective reviews the literature on the extent to which biofuel production can be integrated into agricultural production, taking a global view of the potential for land, water and other resources to be extended beyond current food, feed and fi ber applications. As opposed to the focus on negative impacts, there are benefi cial practices in biofuels that could be expected to propagate to agriculture more generally and have a positive impact on yields and practices. These include (1) promoting a shift from wasteful annual crops to perennials, particularly low-input high-diversity (LIHD) crops; (2) sequestering carbon in soil both organically and as biochar; (3) improving conservative water management practices; and (4) recycling resources.The possibilities of encouraging biofuel production (and biomass for bioenergy generally) in the tropical South, for consumption in the temperate North, based on certifi cation of such sustainable practices in the South, could be expanded if global trade in biofuels were liberalized.

The Bioeconomy in Europe: An Overview

“…Nevertheless, this depends on which farmers are discussed (European of those in developing countries), and it is based, among other things, on the notion that there is a cheap and reliable source of feedstock. According to Mathews [72] innovations related to biofuels will drive the transition of the petro-economy towards the bioeconomy. These include using agricultural wastes as feedstocks and utilisation of mixed perennial crops preserving the soil instead of annual monocultures.…”

Bioeconomy Strategies: Contexts, Visions, Guiding Implementation Principles and Resulting Debates

“…An opposite proposal is to generally encourage biofuel production and biomass for bioenergy in the tropical south for consumption in the temperate north, based on sustainability certification and opening of markets. The proposal is justified by available land reserves, higher productivity and beneficial impacts [123]. This would ultimately increase the external land footprint of industrialised countries.…”

Emergent Imaginaries and Fragmented Policy Frameworks in the Canadian Bio-Economy

“…This has led to the conceptual conflation of the terms "bio-economy" and "bio-based economy" [7]. Increasingly, it is used to refer to a possible societal transition from a fossil fuel-based economy to a biological-based economy [8]. More specifically, this transition is premised on the substitution of fossil fuel-based energy, plastics, material, and chemicals with bio-based ones.…”