Anaerobic digestion of feedstock grown on marginal land : Break-even electricity prices

The authors would like to acknowledge John Rattray, manager of the Hartwood Home Farm for support with critical data used in this paper. The first and third authors would like to acknowledge the Macaulay Development Trust which funds their postdoctoral fellowships with The James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen, Scotland. All usual caveats apply.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Carbon lock-out: Advancing renewable energy policy in Europe

As part of its climate strategy, the EU aims at increasing the share of electricity from renewable energy sources (RES-E) in overall electricity generation. Attaining this target poses a considerable challenge as the electricity sector is “locked” into a carbon-intensive system, which hampers the adoption of RES-E technologies. Electricity generation, transmission and distribution grids as well as storage and demand response are subject to important path dependences, which put existing, non-renewable energy sources at an advantage. This paper examines how an EU framework for RES-E support policies should be designed to facilitate a carbon lock-out. For this purpose, we specify the major technological, economic and institutional barriers to RES-E. For each of the barriers, a policy review is carried out which assesses the performance of existing policy instruments and identifies needs for reform. The review reveals several shortcomings: while policies targeting generation are widely in place, measures to address barriers associated with electricity grids, storage and demand are still in their infancy and have to be extended. Moreover, the implementation of policies has been fragmented across EU Member States. In this respect, national policies should be embedded into an integrated EU-wide planning of the RES-E system with overarching energy scenarios and partially harmonized policy rules

Scenarios for European agricultural policymaking in the era of digitalisation

peer-reviewedCONTEXTDigitalisation affects the agri-food sector and its governance. However, what digitalisation of the sector will imply for future agricultural policymaking remains unclear. OBJECTIVEThe objective of the study is to develop and evaluate explorative scenarios of digitalisation in the agri-food sector of Europe that are explicitly relevant to agricultural policy. The study aims to provide guidance for strategic development of agricultural policy to address the potentials, uncertainties and unknowns arising with digitalisation of the sector. METHODSWe combine a Delphi study and a participatory scenario workshop to develop and evaluate plausible explorative scenarios of digitalisation of Europe's agri-food sector. For all scenarios we identify gaps in achieving a range of important European agricultural policy goals, drawing on the Delphi study and desk-based analysis. Subsequently we deduce strategies to address these agricultural policy gaps. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSFour scenarios of digitalisation of the agri-food sector were developed for Europe in 2030. They comprise of 1) digitalisation of the sector following current directions at current rates as a baseline scenario, 2) strong digitalisation of a regulatory government, 3) use of autonomous farming technology and 4) digitalised food business. These explorative scenarios entail various gaps in achieving European agricultural policy goals. Our findings suggest that the baseline scenario needs strategies to ramp up technological and institutional infrastructure for digitalisation. The other scenarios need strategies to prevent risks, e.g., of technological failures or undesired social impacts. They also need strategies to cater for special cases and diversity, e.g., of ecosystems and farming practices. Across the scenarios, it seems useful to increase digital competencies of the stakeholders. SIGNIFICANCEThe study is the first that derives implications for policy strategies from explorative scenarios of future digitalisation of agricultural systems that target gaps in achieving agricultural policy goals. The combination of developing and analysing scenarios generated findings that are of significance to policymaking stakeholders and researchers alike, who all need to address the uncertainties arising with future digitalisation of the agri-food sector

Scenarios for European agricultural policymaking in the era of digitalisation

CONTEXT Digitalisation affects the agri-food sector and its governance. However, what digitalisation of the sector will imply for future agricultural policymaking remains unclear. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study is to develop and evaluate explorative scenarios of digitalisation in the agri-food sector of Europe that are explicitly relevant to agricultural policy. The study aims to provide guidance for strategic development of agricultural policy to address the potentials, uncertainties and unknowns arising with digitalisation of the sector. METHODS We combine a Delphi study and a participatory scenario workshop to develop and evaluate plausible explorative scenarios of digitalisation of Europe's agri-food sector. For all scenarios we identify gaps in achieving a range of important European agricultural policy goals, drawing on the Delphi study and desk-based analysis. Subsequently we deduce strategies to address these agricultural policy gaps. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Four scenarios of digitalisation of the agri-food sector were developed for Europe in 2030. They comprise of 1) digitalisation of the sector following current directions at current rates as a baseline scenario, 2) strong digitalisation of a regulatory government, 3) use of autonomous farming technology and 4) digitalised food business. These explorative scenarios entail various gaps in achieving European agricultural policy goals. Our findings suggest that the baseline scenario needs strategies to ramp up technological and institutional infrastructure for digitalisation. The other scenarios need strategies to prevent risks, e.g., of technological failures or undesired social impacts. They also need strategies to cater for special cases and diversity, e.g., of ecosystems and farming practices. Across the scenarios, it seems useful to increase digital competencies of the stakeholders. SIGNIFICANCE The study is the first that derives implications for policy strategies from explorative scenarios of future digitalisation of agricultural systems that target gaps in achieving agricultural policy goals. The combination of developing and analysing scenarios generated findings that are of significance to policymaking stakeholders and researchers alike, who all need to address the uncertainties arising with future digitalisation of the agri-food sector

Agri-food business: Global challenges â Innovative solutions

The rise of a western-style middle class in many successful emerging economies like China currently is inducing deep structural changes on agricultural world markets and within the global agri-food business. As a result of both higher incomes and concerns over product safety and quality the global demand for high-quality and safe food products is increasing significantly. In order to meet the new required quality, globally minimum quality standards are rising and private standards emerging. All over the world these developments cause adjustments at the enterprise, chain and market levels. At the same time, the tremendously increasing demand for renewable energy has led to the emergence of a highly promising market for biomass production. This has far-reaching consequences for resource allocation in the agri-food business, for the environment, for the poor in developing countries and for agricultural policy reforms. The challenges increase with ongoing liberalisation, globalisation and standardisation, all of which change trade patterns for agricultural and food commodities, and influence production costs and commodity prices. The objective of the IAMO Forum is to show opportunities as well as risks for all participants of the food economy in the ongoing globalisation process: for small peasants in developing countries, farmers in Europe and globally active food enterprises and retailers. The success of enterprises depends on the ability to find innovative solutions with regard to the organisation of enterprises, chains, and markets, as well as future policy design. Concerning bio-energy strategies has to be identified to combat global warming most efficiently and concurrently attenuate the competition between "tank and table" on farmland. IAMO Forum 2008, as well as this book, would not have been possible without the engagement of many people and institutions. We thank the authors of the papers, as well as the referees. Furthermore we are highly indebted to MARLIES LOHR, NADINE GIEMSA and RONNY RECKE who in an outstanding way contributed to the organisation of the Forum. This is true as well for the IAMO administration, whose work we gratefully acknowledge. Many sponsors has funded the IAMO Forum 2008. We are very grateful to the German Research Foundation (DFG), The Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Production in Germany, The Ministry of Cultural Affairs of the Federal State Saxony-Anhalt, Germany and last but not least the City of Halle. Further Conference sponsors are the BIONADE Corporation, Gaensefurther Mineral Water, The Wine Growers Association of the Region Saale-Unstrut, Germany, Obsthof am SüÃen See GmbH, Monsanto Company, KWS Saat AG, Sachsen-Anhalt-Tours, Baumkuchen Salzwedel and the Hallesches Brauhaus.Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Industrial Organization, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, International Development, Marketing, Political Economy,

Lessons to be learned in adoption of autonomous equipment for field crops

Autonomous equipment for crop production is on the verge of technical and economic feasibility, but government regulation may slow its adoption. Key regulatory issues include requirements for on-site human supervision, liability for autonomous machine error, and intellectual property in robotic learning. As an example of the impact of regulation on the economic benefits of autonomous crop equipment, analysis from the United Kingdom suggests that requiring 100% on-site human supervision almost wipes out the economic benefits of autonomous crop equipment for small and medium farms and increases the economies-of-scale advantage of larger farms

Agrarpolitik im Zeitalter der Digitalisierung

Diese Studie untersucht, wie sich die Digitalisierung auf die Agrarpolitik auswirken könnte und welche Chancen sich daraus ergeben. Digitale Technologien halten nicht nur auf landwirtschaftlichen Betrieben Einzug, sondern auch in der Agrar- und Ernährungspolitik. Beispiele sind die digitalisierte Dokumentation von agrar¬politischen Massnahmen, digitale Technologien, wie Satellitenbilder, zur Beobachtung der Landnutzung oder die Analyse digitalisierter Agrardaten in der öffentlichen Verwaltung. Das übergeordnete Ziel des Projektes ‘Agrarpolitik im Zeitalter der Digitalisierung’ ist die Analyse, welche Rolle die Digitalisierung für die Weiterentwicklung der Agrarpolitik spielen kann. Die Ergebnisse der Analyse sollen Entscheidungsgrundlagen für die zukünftige Ausge-staltung der Agrarpolitik bieten. Wir haben verschiedene Szenarien der Digitalisierung der Landwirtschaft identifiziert. In den Szenarien gibt es sehr unterschiedliche Herausforderungen wie agrarpolitische Ziele auch zukünftig erreicht werden. Strategien zur Verbesserung der digitalen Infrastruktur und der Fähigkeiten der involvierten Personen können hier helfen, die Zielerreichung sicherzustellen. Agrarpolitische Instrumente, wie etwa Direktzahlungsprogramme oder Steuern, können mithilfe digitaler Technologien in Zukunft einen geringeren administrativen Aufwand haben. Insbesondere können diese Instrumente anders aufgestellt und damit wirksamer, aber auch kostengünstiger, werden. Sie könnten beispielsweise stärker auf Ergebnisse von Mass-nahmen abzielen, anstatt auf Bewirtschaftungspraktiken. Auch können sie genauer auf Stand¬orte zugeschnitten werden und zeitlich flexibler gestaltet werden. Der Einsatz digitaler Tech¬nologien könnte aber auch Fragen aufwerfen, wie etwa in welchem Ausmass der Staat Zugriff auf betriebliche Daten erhalten soll oder welche Kostenverteilung zwischen Staat und land¬wirtschaftlichen Betrieben entsteht. Unter den vielen in der Digitalisierung der Agrarpolitik einsetzbaren Technologien erfährt die satellitenbasierten Fernerkundung eine grosse Auf-merksamkeit. Auch wenn ihr Einsatzspektrum zur Unterstützung der Agrarpolitik begrenzt ist, könnte diese Technologie in bestimmten Bereichen, wie der Beobachtung der Landnutzung, sehr wirkungsvoll und kostengünstig sein. Möglicherweise verschiebt sich die agrarpolitische Aufmerksamkeit gar in diese Bereiche. Dies ist die erste umfassende Studie zur Digitalisierung in der Agrarpolitik. Sie legt wichtige konzeptionelle Grundlagen für agrarpolitische Entscheidungen, indem sie zukünftige Heraus-forderungen aufzeigt und Lösungen vorschlägt. Da es noch unsicher ist, welche Entwicklungen sich in der Digitalisierung der Agrar- und Ernährungspolitik durchsetzen werden, ist weiterhin eine aufmerksame Beobachtung der Digitalisierung sinnvoll

RESPONSES OF AGRICULTURAL BIOENERGY PRODUCTION IN BRANDENBURG (GERMANY) TO ECOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC AND LEGAL CHANGES: AN APPLICATION OF HOLLING'S ADAPTIVE CYCLE

Agricultural bioenergy production faces dynamics such as yield fluctuations, volatile prices, resource competition, new regulation and policy, innovation and climate change. To what extent is bioenergy production able to adapt to changing environments and to overcome critical events? We investigate in detail how the agricultural bioenergy sector in the German State of Brandenburg adapted to diverse past events. The analysis rests on the adaptive-cycle concept of HOLLING and GUNDERSON (2002a), which has been widely applied in socialecological systems research. Brandenburg’s bioenergy production displays properties of a system in the exploitation phase, including a low potential and a high resilience of the system and a low connectedness within the system. There are risks and opportunities for bioenergy production. Sustainable bioenergy production requires a transition from the exploitation to the conservation phase. But Brandenburg’s bioenergy sector has limited adaptive capacity and there are certain barriers for the agricultural bioenergy sector to overcome potentially critical states. Policy needs to be tailored accordingly

Agricultural policy in the era of digitalisation

Digitalisation in the agricultural sector continues to expand. At the same time demands for an agricultural policy offering better support for sustainability become increasingly fervent. However, it is far from clear how digitalisation could make agricultural policy more effective in reducing undesired impacts and enhancing the benefits of farming. This article investigates the extent to which digital technologies can trigger different choices of agricultural policy instruments and novel design specifications that address problems of sustainability in farming more effectively and possibly more efficiently. It develops and applies an analytical framework that focuses on the effects of digitalisation in distinct policy dimensions, drawing on theoretical insights and examples from practice in a European context. We show that digital agricultural policy does not simply replace analogue technologies used in traditional agricultural policy. It offers new options for agricultural policy, including novel designs to address challenges more effectively. In particular, it offers opportunities for more effective spatial targeting and tailoring of instruments, including results-based subsidies. Digital data can be generated strategically using respective instrument designs to support policy learning and adaptation of designs. Information-intensive instruments and designs generally benefit most from digitalisation while transaction costs often go down. Digitalisation could also move agricultural policy from direct intervention to information-based governance. However, the analysis suggests that institutional constraints and interests, as well as the capabilities of the actors involved require attention in research and practice of digitalisation of agricultural policy.ISSN:0306-9192ISSN:1873-565