Agriculture

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Bioenergy > Issues > Agriculture

A village women's cooperative farms rice using the System of Rice Intensification to increase crop yields in Madagascar.

Increases in production of crops and biomass for bioenergy uses may have impacts on other agricultural activities.

Crops

• United States - Increased production of corn for ethanol may lead to changes in the amount of land used for other crops, such as for soybeans, which may experience reduced production.

• Brazil - increased production of sugar cane for ethanol may lead indirectly to the conversion of tropical forests or other lands to accomodate the agricultural activities displaced by growing land areas used for sugar cane production.

Meat: livestock and poultry

Increased demand for bioenergy crops, such as corn for use in producing ethanol, evidently may lead to increases in the cost of inputs for livestock agriculture, in turn affecting the cost of meat and dairy products.

Animal fats can be used as feedstocks for biodiesel.

• In the United States, the Coalition for Balanced Food and Fuel, "an alliance of agricultural groups" (including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Chicken Council and National Milk Producers Federation) "concerned about the impact that ethanol policy may have on the competitiveness of animal agriculture, exports, the food industry and ultimately the consumer," advocates a number of policies, including that federal mandates "should be limited to energy from emerging bio-based sources (i.e. cellulosic, methane) that do not adversely impact animal feed availability;" the expiration in 2008 of the US ethanol import tariff, and for expanded options for farmers to elect out of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).[1]

Other issues

• Monoculture vs. Polyculture
• Agricultural residues (agricultural wastes / crop wastes)
  • Agriculture waste can be used to produce second-generation biofuels.
  • Related News:
    • In Search of Wildlife-friendly Biofuels: Could Native Prairie Plants Be the Answer, 29 September 2009 by NewsWise/Michigan Technological University: "The unintended consequence of crop-based biofuels may be the loss of wildlife habitat, particularly that of the birds who call this country’s grasslands home, say researchers from Michigan Technological University and The Nature Conservancy."
      • "What’s the solution? There are at least two ways to produce bioenergy without destroying wildlife [and habitat], the researchers say. One is to use biomass sources that don’t require additional land, such as agricultural residues and other wastes from municipal, animal, food and forestry industries."[2]
    • Crop Residue May Be Too Valuable to Harvest for Biofuels, 15 July 2008 press release by Washington State University: "In the rush to develop renewable fuels from plants, converting crop residues into cellulosic ethanol would seem to be a slam dunk. However, that might not be such a good idea for farmers growing crops without irrigation in regions receiving less than 25 inches of precipitation annually, says Ann Kennedy, a USDA-Agricultural Research Service soil scientist".
      • "If residue were harvested, she said, soil fertility would drop and farmers would have to find other ways to increase the amount of organic matter in their soils."
      • "'We need to constantly replenish organic matter — so removing valuable residue, especially in areas with low rainfall, may not be the best practice.'"[3]

Chart from the 2007a IPCC climate change assessment report shows the contribution by sector to total anthropogenic GHG emissions in 2004, in terms of CO2 equivalent. Heat trapping GHGs result in global temperature changes that effect our climate systems. Agriculture accounts for 13.5% of total annual GHG emissions. Source (PDF File)

• Land conversion
  • Related News:
    • Rising energy, food prices major threats to wetlands as farmers eye new areas for crops, 25 July 2008 press release by United Nations University and the Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (Brazil): "Critical food shortages and growing demand for bio-fuels and hydro-electricity due to high fossil fuel prices rank among the greatest threats today to the preservation of precious wetlands worldwide as farmers and developers look for new areas for agriculture, energy crop plantations and hydro dams."
    • Exceprt from the Cuiabá Declaration on Wetlands, issued 25 July:

"Rising energy prices are leading to the large-scale cultivation of plants for bio-fuels. In addition to the problems of rising food prices, the increasing demand for bio-fuels will stimulate an expansion of energy-crop plantations at the cost of areas covered by natural vegetation. We call attention to the danger of direct negative impacts on wetlands by land reclamation and drainage, and to the indirect impacts caused increased inputs of sediments, fertilizers, and pesticides from surrounding croplands."[4]

Resources

• Soil Carbon Sequestration in U.S. Rangelands Issues Paper for Protocol Development (PDF) by the Environmental Defense Fund. This reports looks at issues such as agriculture, emissions offsets, grasslands, increased carbon sequestration, and soil.

• World Food and Agriculture to 2030/50: How do climate change and bioenergy alter the long-term outlook for food, agriculture and resource availability? (PDF) by Günther Fischer prepared for the FAO Expert Meeting on “How to Feed the World in 2050,” August 2009. This reports looks at issues such as agriculture, biofuels, climate change, food security and sustainability. [5]

• From Source to Sink - Reducing Commodity Agriculture's Impacts on Natural Lands - December 2009. National Wildlife Federation report summary prepared for an official side event at the UNFCCC COP15 Climate Negotiations.
• The Natural Fix? The Role of Ecosystems in Climate Mitigation, A UNEP Rapid Response Assessment (PDF). Trumper, K., et al. June 2009. United Nations Environment Programme, UNEPWCMC, Cambridge, UK. (ISBN: 978-82-7701-057-1).
  • Includes information on ecosystem services, carbon sequestration, agriculture, land use, and biodiversity conservation and how these relate to global climate change.

• Finding Balance: Agricultural Residues, Ethanol, and the Environment by Liz Marshall and Zachary Sugg for the World Resources Institute, December 2008.
  • "This analysis explores the implications of corn stover harvest for soil carbon loss, nutrient (nitrogen) pollution, and erosion, as well as the potential to mitigate those impacts using available agricultural best management practices (BMPs) such as reduced tillage intensity and integration of winter cover crops (WCC) into production rotations."

• Thirst for Corn: What 2007 Plantings Could Mean for the Environment (PDF) by Liz Marshall for the World Resources Institute, June 2007.
  • "This study explores the potential environmental impacts of the recent surge in corn production, and suggests some policy measures to help make agriculture in general more robust to increased demands for energy production."

Sunflowers may be cultivated as a source of bioenergy.

Events

2010

• 10-11 May 2010, Bedfordshire, UK: Non Food Uses of Crops by The Association of Applied Biologists. (Themes: biochar, biomass, crop residues, policy, pyrolysis, second-generation biofuels)

• 25-27 May 2010, Jönköping, Sweden: World Bioenergy 2010 Conference and Exhibition. (Themes: agriculture, combined heat and power, forests, policy, technology, wood)

• 27-30 June 2010, Ames, Iowa, USA: Biochar 2010. Hosted by Iowa State University (Themes: agriculture, biochar, economics, forestry, policy, soil)

2009

• 4-7 February 2009, New Delhi, India: The 4th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture. (Themes: conservation, agriculture).

• 11 March 2009, Washington, D.C., USA: Farm Foundation Forum: What's Driving Food Prices? Themes: agriculture, food, rural policy)

• 17-19 May 2009, San Diego, California, USA: 2009 Waste-to-Fuels Conference & Trade Show. (Themes: agricultural waste, energy recovery, landfill gas, Municipal Solid Waste, waste)

• 17-20 May 2009, Gold Coast, Australia: Asia Pacific Biochar Conference - will "feature speakers from the Asia Pacific region on the latest scientific research and business opportunities for development of the biochar industry." (Themes: agriculture, biochar/char, carbon)

• 28 May 2009, Washington, D.C.: Dealing with Climate Change - The Need to Include Agriculture and Land Use, by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

• 5 June 2009, Bonn, Germany: Agriculture, land and climate change: side-event at the UNFCCC meeting Participants include representatives from FAO and ICRAF. (Themes: Climate change, land use change, agriculture, Europe, sustainable).

• 9-12 August 2009, Boulder, Colorado, USA: North American Biochar Conference 2009 (Themes: agriculture, biochar/char, carbon, policy)
  • Conference is to address issues including biochar characteristics, production and marketing; soil fertility and biochar; carbon sequestration and life cycle analysis.

• 16-18 November 2009, Rome, Italy: World Summit on Food Security. (Themes: agriculture, climate change, food security, food-versus-fuel debate, poverty)
  • Preceded by a Civil Society Forum, 14-16 November 2009 in Rome.

Websites

• Agropedia - "a comprehensive, seamlessly integrated model of digital content organization in the agricultural domain." Focused on India. Lead organization is ICRISAT.

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