Abstract
This study deals with approaches for a social-ecological friendly European bioeconomy based on biomass from industrial crops cultivated on marginal agricultural land. The selected crops to be investigated are: Biomass sorghum, camelina, cardoon, castor, crambe, Ethiopian mustard, giant reed, hemp, lupin, miscanthus, pennycress, poplar, reed canary grass, safflower, Siberian elm, switchgrass, tall wheatgrass, wild sugarcane, and willow. The research question focused on the overall crop growth suitability under low-input management. The study assessed: (i) How the growth suitability of industrial crops can be defined under the given natural constraints of European marginal agricultural lands; and (ii) which agricultural practices are required for marginal agricultural land low-input systems (MALLIS). For the growth-suitability analysis, available thresholds and growth requirements of the selected industrial crops were defined. The marginal agricultural land was categorized according to the agro-ecological zone (AEZ) concept in combination with the marginality constraints, so-called ‘marginal agro-ecological zones’ (M-AEZ). It was found that both large marginal agricultural areas and numerous agricultural practices are available for industrial crop cultivation on European marginal agricultural lands. These results help to further describe the suitability of industrial crops for the development of social-ecologically friendly MALLIS in Europe.
Highlights
1. 1.Introduction thetargeted targeted‘ideal’‘ideal’ bioeconomy, bioeconomy, the the production social, ecological, andandInInthe productionofofbiomass biomasswill willtake take social, ecological, health aspects into account [1]to help achieve the sustainable development goalsFrom health aspects into account [1] to help achieve the sustainable development goals 2015–2030
As favorable agricultural lands should primarily be used for food crop cultivation, this study focuses on the use of marginal agricultural lands for low-input industrial crop cultivation
The study deals with the further evaluation of the growth suitability of 19 promising industrial crops (Table 1), and how they meet the requirements for successful development of marginal agricultural land low-input systems (MALLIS)
Summary
1. 1.Introduction thetargeted targeted‘ideal’‘ideal’ bioeconomy, bioeconomy, the the production social, ecological, andandInInthe productionofofbiomass biomasswill willtake take social, ecological, health aspects into account [1]to help achieve the sustainable development goalsFrom health aspects into account [1] to help achieve the sustainable development goals 2015–2030. InInthe productionofofbiomass biomasswill willtake take social, ecological, health aspects into account [1]. To help achieve the sustainable development goals. From health aspects into account [1] to help achieve the sustainable development goals 2015–2030. From the the bioeconomy’s ambitions and definitions, conclusions can be that drawn theofgrowth of the bioeconomy’s ambitions and definitions, conclusions can be drawn the that growth the bioeconomy bioeconomy demands both a reduction of waste and losses and an adequate supply of sustainably demands both a reduction of waste and losses and an adequate supply of sustainably grown biomass [2]. The EU Horizon 2020 project MAGIC pressure on water resources [3,4,5]. The EU Horizon 2020 project MAGIC (Grant agreement ID: 727698). (Grant agreement ID: 727698) was established with the ambition of supporting the mitigation of these was established with the ambition of supporting the mitigation of these risks. This study deals with the basic findings of the ‘Low-input agricultural practices for industrial the basiconfindings ofland’
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