Review on the contribution of farming practices and technologies towards climate-smart agricultural outcomes in a European context

‘Low ILUC-Risk’ as a Sustainability Standard for Biofuels in the EU

“…In the EU, biofuel consumption has predominantly relied on the conversion of 'first generation' feedstocks; see the 'food and feed crops' series in Figure 1. In the context of the RED (RED II, Article 2 (40), [6]), food and feed crops include crops that could be directly used in the food and feed sector, but are more generally main-harvest sugar-, starch-, or oil-rich crops (e.g., inedible oil from castor beans grown on agricultural land, which is used to make biodiesel). The definition of food and feed is set in relation to feedstock type rather than by direct reference to edibility because the production of inedible crop varieties may be interchangeable with the production of edible varieties.…”

“…Take one example: the adoption of cover cropping and crop rotations is tied to CAP provisions; these conservation-oriented land management practices are consistent with those low ILUC-risk models where fast-growing cover crops are planted during fallow seasons, with the resulting biomass harvested for bioenergy uses. In the best-case scenario, well stewarded projects will benefit biodiversity and soil health, mitigate fertiliser runoff, and reduce pesticide use [39][40][41].…”