An interdisciplinary team of 11 scientists from seven European countries and the USA have questioned the claim that 'surplus land' can be used for growing feedstock for bioenergy. The researchers identified environmental, economic and social constraints to the current use of land, but their reassessment of land available for bioenergy feedstock production also revealed that, in some cases, it may be a sustainable option.

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The researchers said increasing demand for bioenergy feedstock is undoubtedly generating land-use conflicts, most commonly 'food versus fuel' conflicts. One key argument against increasing biofuel and bioenergy production which has found widespread support is the 'food versus fuel' debate. Adherents maintain that when land is planted with feedstock, food production must occur elsewhere to avoid increasing hunger. This direct or indirect land use change is impacting on biodiversity and the health of ecosystems around the world, opponents of biofuels argue.

One solution which has been mooted is to continue producing food and feed on established agricultural land, while growing dedicated energy crops on so called "surplus" land. However, the international researchers, who published their findings in open access journal Biorisk, said confusion has been caused by the ambiguous term 'surplus land' and by uncertainties in assessments of land availability on national and international levels.

The study's lead author, Dr Jens Dauber of the Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institute in Braunschweig, Germany, said "We still have limited understanding of how much land is truly surplus and suitable for energy crop production, because constraints arising from environmental and socio-economic implications of bioenergy development in those areas are often not accounted for in assessments of land availability."

In order to resolve the issue of ‘surplus land’ the authors said a universal definition should be established and recommended a reassessment of land availability should be carried out in areas which are said to have 'surplus land' before bioenergy production can truly lay claim to sustainability.

They recommended using novel techniques to ensure production of biofuels is truly sustainable, so the crops can help provide energy security and mitigate the threat of human-driven climate change around the world. In Dr Daubers opinion, "factoring in the constraints, combined with creativity in utilising the options provided by the novel cropping systems, would lead to a more sustainable and efficient development of the bioenergy sector."

The authors maintained that there is a place for biofuels in the drive towards achieving greater sustainability, but they concluded "We need to determine which bioenergy cultivation systems are most suitable for the respective types of surplus land, by taking into account issues such as yields, inputs and costs, as well as potential environmental and socio-economic impacts."

Their research is available here

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