Landscape Agroecology. the Dysfunctionalities of Industrial Agriculture and the Loss of the Circular Bioeconomy in the Barcelona Region, 1956-2009

Abstract

The paper analyses how between 1956 and 2009 the agrarian metabolism of the Barcelona Metropolitan Region (BMR) has become less functional, losing circularity in biomass flows and in relationship to its landscape. We do so by adopting a Multi-EROI and flow-fund (MuSIASEM) analyses and its nexus with landscape functional structure. The study of agricultural flows of Final Produce, Biomass Reused and External Inputs is integrated with that of land use, livestock, power capacity and population changes between 1956 (at the beginning of the Green Revolution) and 2009 (fully industrialized agriculture). A multi-scale analysis is conducted at the landscape scale (seven districts within the Barcelona metropolitan region) as well as for the functions deployed, within an agroecosystem, by the mutual interactions between its funds (land-uses, livestock and farming population). A complex nexus between land, livestock, dietary patterns and energy needs is shown; we conclude that from the perspective of the circular bioeconomy the agrarian sector has gone worse hand in hand with the landscape functional structure. Therefore, a novel perspective in landscape agroecology is opened

A Net Energy Analysis of the Global Agriculture, Aquaculture, Fishing and Forestry System

“…4), this appears to go against the third posited unsustainable trend of global AAFF, as this apparent improvement in energy efficiency indicates an improvement in sustainability. However, given the variation in studies from the literature, and as this study did not take into account internal inputs and natural flows of energy, it cannot be concluded that the increase in EROI is truly more efficient, and therefore more sustainable (Cattaneo et al 2018;Pérez-Soba et al 2019). Conversely it is highly likely that the increase in the net EROI of global AAFF is being fuelled in part by 'depleting natures accumulated energy stocks'.…”

“…A key effect of this breeding is to increase the feed conversion efficiency (FCE) of livestock production-the percentage of feed calories to livestock production calories. However, despite improvements in efficiency livestock rearing is still an energy inefficient process, and a major cause of the declining EROI of many agroecosystems (Cattaneo et al 2018), with Shepon et al (2016) calculating that the FCE for pigs is only 9%, poultry is 13%, eggs and dairy are 17%, and beef is 3%. Furthermore, maximum FCE's are subject to physiological limits, making future gains in livestock output through efficiency improvements unlikely (Tallentire et al 2018).…”

“…Assessing a greater timespan Galán et al (2016) found that the recycled biomass energy within the Vallès County agroecosystem (Catalonia, Spain) decreased from 95% in 1860 to 10% in 1999. If this trend is present at the global scale it would represent a decline in the sustainability of global AAFF due to a reduction in the circularity of energy and nutrient cycling, Cattaneo et al (2018) refers to this as the "loss of the circular bioeconomy".…”