Farmers’ motivations to cultivate biomass for energy and implications
Thomson Ek, Hedda ; Singh, Jagdeep LU
; Winberg, Josefin
LU
; Brady, Mark V.
LU
and Clough, Yann
LU
(2024)
In Energy Policy
193.
- Abstract
Bioenergy derived from agricultural biomass can contribute to meeting the rising demand for renewable energy. To estimate the agricultural sector's potential to contribute to bioenergy, it is crucial to understand what motivates farmers to increase agricultural feedstock production sustainably. Through eight semi-structured interviews and online surveys with 174 farmers in southern Sweden, we explore the barriers and incentives farmers perceive in starting or increasing feedstock production for energy purposes sustainably using production methods with a low risk of causing indirect land use change (iLUC). Among the most prominent barriers are low profitability, high-risk investments, and potential negative environmental consequences... (More)
Bioenergy derived from agricultural biomass can contribute to meeting the rising demand for renewable energy. To estimate the agricultural sector's potential to contribute to bioenergy, it is crucial to understand what motivates farmers to increase agricultural feedstock production sustainably. Through eight semi-structured interviews and online surveys with 174 farmers in southern Sweden, we explore the barriers and incentives farmers perceive in starting or increasing feedstock production for energy purposes sustainably using production methods with a low risk of causing indirect land use change (iLUC). Among the most prominent barriers are low profitability, high-risk investments, and potential negative environmental consequences such as soil depletion. Higher market prices for plant residuals and energy crops, combined with more long-term and reliable subsidies that support investments in new machinery, facilities, and production systems, are major driving factors to increase feedstock production for bioenergy. The study found that the farmers see little potential in using marginal lands due to their low soil productivity and spatial characteristics. Further, the potential for intensifying biomass production on currently cropped land is also found to be limited due to risks of soil depletion and environmental degradation. Our study highlights that the potential of bioenergy production from underutilized land and intensive production in Scania may be overestimated, and realizing this potential in practice may require suitable policy changes.
(Less)
- author
- Thomson Ek, Hedda
; Singh, Jagdeep
LU
; Winberg, Josefin
LU
; Brady, Mark V.
LU
and Clough, Yann
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024-10
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Agricultural bioenergy, Farmers, Land use change, Policy implications, Underutilized lands
- in
- Energy Policy
- volume
- 193
- article number
- 114295
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85201505306
- ISSN
- 0301-4215
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114295
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 7f21c059-47b4-41d9-9fda-ee7256b74169
- date added to LUP
- 2024-10-30 11:39:02
- date last changed
- 2025-04-04 15:09:40
@article{7f21c059-47b4-41d9-9fda-ee7256b74169,
abstract = {{<p>Bioenergy derived from agricultural biomass can contribute to meeting the rising demand for renewable energy. To estimate the agricultural sector's potential to contribute to bioenergy, it is crucial to understand what motivates farmers to increase agricultural feedstock production sustainably. Through eight semi-structured interviews and online surveys with 174 farmers in southern Sweden, we explore the barriers and incentives farmers perceive in starting or increasing feedstock production for energy purposes sustainably using production methods with a low risk of causing indirect land use change (iLUC). Among the most prominent barriers are low profitability, high-risk investments, and potential negative environmental consequences such as soil depletion. Higher market prices for plant residuals and energy crops, combined with more long-term and reliable subsidies that support investments in new machinery, facilities, and production systems, are major driving factors to increase feedstock production for bioenergy. The study found that the farmers see little potential in using marginal lands due to their low soil productivity and spatial characteristics. Further, the potential for intensifying biomass production on currently cropped land is also found to be limited due to risks of soil depletion and environmental degradation. Our study highlights that the potential of bioenergy production from underutilized land and intensive production in Scania may be overestimated, and realizing this potential in practice may require suitable policy changes.</p>}},
author = {{Thomson Ek, Hedda and Singh, Jagdeep and Winberg, Josefin and Brady, Mark V. and Clough, Yann}},
issn = {{0301-4215}},
keywords = {{Agricultural bioenergy; Farmers; Land use change; Policy implications; Underutilized lands}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Energy Policy}},
title = {{Farmers’ motivations to cultivate biomass for energy and implications}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114295}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114295}},
volume = {{193}},
year = {{2024}},
}