Prospects of Bioenergy Cropping Systems for A More Social-Ecologically Sound Bioeconomy
Moritz Von Cossel,
Moritz Wagner,
Jan Lask,
Elena Magenau,
Andrea Bauerle,
Viktoria Von Cossel,
Kirsten Warrach-Sagi,
Berien Elbersen,
Igor Staritsky,
Michiel Van Eupen,
Yasir Iqbal,
Nicolai David Jablonowski,
Stefan Happe,
Ana Luisa Fernando,
Danilo Scordia,
Salvatore Luciano Cosentino,
Volker Wulfmeyer,
Iris Lewandowski,
Bastian Winkler
Affiliations
Moritz Von Cossel
Biobased Products and Energy Crops (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Moritz Wagner
Biobased Products and Energy Crops (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Jan Lask
Biobased Products and Energy Crops (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Elena Magenau
Biobased Products and Energy Crops (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Andrea Bauerle
Biobased Products and Energy Crops (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Viktoria Von Cossel
Institute of Physics and Meteorology (120), University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 30, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Kirsten Warrach-Sagi
Institute of Physics and Meteorology (120), University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 30, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Berien Elbersen
Earth Informatics, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Igor Staritsky
Earth Informatics, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Michiel Van Eupen
Earth Informatics, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Yasir Iqbal
College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
Nicolai David Jablonowski
IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
Stefan Happe
Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Kiel University, Olshausenstr. 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany
Ana Luisa Fernando
MEtRICs, Departamento de Ciências e Tecnologia da Biomassa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Danilo Scordia
Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A), University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Salvatore Luciano Cosentino
Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A), University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Volker Wulfmeyer
Institute of Physics and Meteorology (120), University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 30, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Iris Lewandowski
Biobased Products and Energy Crops (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Bastian Winkler
Biobased Products and Energy Crops (340b), Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
The growing bioeconomy will require a greater supply of biomass in the future for both bioenergy and bio-based products. Today, many bioenergy cropping systems (BCS) are suboptimal due to either social-ecological threats or technical limitations. In addition, the competition for land between bioenergy-crop cultivation, food-crop cultivation, and biodiversity conservation is expected to increase as a result of both continuous world population growth and expected severe climate change effects. This study investigates how BCS can become more social-ecologically sustainable in future. It brings together expert opinions from the fields of agronomy, economics, meteorology, and geography. Potential solutions to the following five main requirements for a more holistically sustainable supply of biomass are summarized: (i) bioenergy-crop cultivation should provide a beneficial social-ecological contribution, such as an increase in both biodiversity and landscape aesthetics, (ii) bioenergy crops should be cultivated on marginal agricultural land so as not to compete with food-crop production, (iii) BCS need to be resilient in the face of projected severe climate change effects, (iv) BCS should foster rural development and support the vast number of small-scale family farmers, managing about 80% of agricultural land and natural resources globally, and (v) bioenergy-crop cultivation must be planned and implemented systematically, using holistic approaches. Further research activities and policy incentives should not only consider the economic potential of bioenergy-crop cultivation, but also aspects of biodiversity, soil fertility, and climate change adaptation specific to site conditions and the given social context. This will help to adapt existing agricultural systems in a changing world and foster the development of a more social-ecologically sustainable bioeconomy.
