Potential Bioenergy Production from Miscanthus × giganteus in Brandenburg: Producing Bioenergy and Fostering Other Ecosystem Services while Ensuring Food Self-Sufficiency in the Berlin-Brandenburg Region

Miscanthus × giganteus (hereafter Miscanthus) is a perennial crop characterized by its high biomass production, low nutrient requirements, its ability for soil restoration, and its cultivation potential on marginal land. The development of the bioenergy sector in the state of Brandenburg (Germany), with maize as the dominant crop, has recently drawn attention to its negative environmental impacts, competition with food production, and uncertainties regarding its further development toward the state’s bioenergy targets. This study aimed to estimate the potential bioenergy production in Brandenburg by cultivating Miscanthus only on marginal land, thereby avoiding competition with food production in the Berlin-Brandenburg city-region (i.e., foodshed), after using the Metropolitan Foodshed and Self-sufficiency Scenario (MFSS) model. We estimated that by 2030, the Berlin-Brandenburg foodshed would require around 1.13 million hectares to achieve 100% food self-sufficiency under the business as usual (BAU) scenario, and hence there would be around 390,000 ha land left for bioenergy production. Our results suggest that the region would require about 569,000 ha of land of maize to generate 58 PJ—the bioenergy target of the state of Brandenburg for 2030—which is almost 179,000 ha more than the available area for bioenergy production. However, under Miscanthus plantation, the required area would be reduced by 2.5 times to 232,000 ha. Therefore, Miscanthus could enable Brandenburg to meet its bioenergy target by 2030, while at the same time avoiding the trade-offs with food production, and also providing a potential for soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration of around 255,200 t C yr-1, leading to an improvement in the soil fertility and other ecosystem services (e.g., biodiversity), compared with bioenergy generated from maize.

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Response and Simulation of Trade-offs/synergies Among Ecosystem Services to Ecological Restoration Program: a Case Study of the Chengdu-Chongqing Urban Agglomeration, China

10.21203/rs.3.rs-571046/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tiantian Chen ◽

Li Peng ◽

Qiang Wang

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Carbon Sequestration ◽

Habitat Quality ◽

Soil Conservation ◽

Food Production ◽

Water Yield ◽

Ecological Security ◽

Trade Off ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Synergistic Relationships

Abstract The Grain to Green Program (GTGP), as a policy tool for advancing ecological progress, has been operating for 20 years and has played an important role in improving ecosystem service values. However, there are few studies on the trade-off/synergy changes in ecosystem services during the implementation of the GTGP and how to select the optimal scheme for regional ecological security based on the trade-off relationship. Thus, we took the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration (CCUA) in southwestern China as the study area; we used multisource data and the corresponding models and methods to estimate the regional food production, carbon sequestration, water yield, soil conservation and habitat quality services. Then, we clarified the trade-off/synergy relationships among ecosystem services from 2000 to 2015 by spatial analysis and statistical methods and evaluated the influential mechanism of the GTGP on trade-offs between ecosystem services. Finally, different risk scenarios were constructed by the ordered weighted average algorithm (OWA), and the regional ecological security pattern was simulated under the principle of the best protection efficiency and the highest trade-off degree. We found that (1) the trade-offs/synergies of regional ecosystem services changed significantly from 2000 to 2015. Among them, food production, water yield and soil conservation have always had trade-off relationships, while carbon sequestration, soil conservation and habitat quality have all had synergistic relationships. The relationships between carbon sequestration and water yield and food production changed from non-correlated to trade-off/synergistic, and the relationship between habitat quality and food production and water yield was not obvious. (2) Except for carbon sequestration service, the trade-off intensity between other ecosystem services decreased, indicating that the change trend of ecosystem services in the same direction was obvious. (3) The GTGP has been an important factor affecting the trade-off intensity of regional ecosystem services. On the one hand, it has strengthened the synergistic relationships among carbon sequestration, soil conservation and habitat quality; on the other hand, it has increased the constraints of water resources on soil conservation and vegetation restoration. (4) The decision risk coefficient α = 1.6 was the most suitable scenario, the total amount of regional ecosystem services was high, and the allocation was balanced under this scenario. The ecological security area corresponding to this scenario was also the area with high carbon sequestration and habitat quality services. The purpose of this study was to provide a scientific reference for the precise implementation of the GTGP.

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Food Security in Hawai‘i

Food and Power in Hawai'i ◽

10.21313/hawaii/9780824858537.003.0003 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

George Kent

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

State Government ◽

Low Income ◽

Food Production ◽

Local Food ◽

The State ◽

The Poor ◽

Self Sufficiency ◽

Low Income Consumers

This chapter challenges the uncritical pursuit of food self-sufficiency that has been rationalized as increasing the state’s preparedness against shipping disruption. It argues that this effort might increase food’s cost, and reiterates the point that local food is not necessarily fair as low-income consumers could be sidelined in the push for food localization. In contrast to the enthusiasm for promoting agriculture and local food production in the state, relatively little has been done in addressing food insecurity of the poor, especially by the state government. Food democracy needs to consider food security for all—particularly the poor and the marginalized.

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Spatio-temporal changes in water-related ecosystem services provision and trade-offs with food production

Journal of Cleaner Production ◽

10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.125316 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 286 ◽

pp. 125316

Author(s):

Shiliang Yang ◽

Yang Bai ◽

Juha M. Alatalo ◽

Huimin Wang ◽

Bo Jiang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Food Production ◽

Temporal Changes ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Spatio Temporal

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Assessing Changes in Ecosystem Service Values in Response to Land Cover Dynamics in Jiangxi Province, China

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17093018 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (9) ◽

pp. 3018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Xinmin Zhang ◽

Hualin Xie ◽

Jiaying Shi ◽

Tiangui Lv ◽

Caihua Zhou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Land Cover ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Food Production ◽

Waste Treatment ◽

Jiangxi Province ◽

Trade Off ◽

Ecosystem Services Value ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Land Cover Dynamics

This paper examines the ecosystem service values of Jiangxi province, China using the benefit transfer approach. The land cover dynamics results show that cropland and forest are the main land cover types in Jiangxi province. Urban land drastically increased after 2000, expanding from 846.54 km2 in 2000 to 2317.48 km2 in 2015. Forest and water obviously decreased across the study periods. Consequently, the total ecosystem service values decreased from 37.91 × 1010 Yuan in 1995 to 35.27 × 1010 Yuan in 2015. The values showed a declining trend, especially during the 1995–2000 period. The largest declines in ecosystem service values were caused by decreases in forest and water cover. Regulating services experienced the largest declines in ecosystem services value. Moreover, water supply showed the largest decline in ecosystem service value between 1995 and 2015. Not surprisingly, food production increased in the whole period, especially in the 1995–2000 period. Forest and cropland played the most important roles in the total ecosystem service values of Jiangxi province. We then discussed the relationship among ecosystem services based on the ecosystem service trade-off degree. The results show that the dominant relationship among ecosystem services in Jiangxi province was synergy; thus synergy mostly occurred in all ecosystem services except for food production from 1995 to 2015. However, during the 1995–2000 period, trade-offs mainly existed in both food production and waste treatment. The proportion of synergy greatly increased in the 2000–2015 period, and the synergistic relationship between waste treatment and other ecosystem services increased. However, the trade-off relationship between food production and other ecosystem services still has not improved, which should be concerned in the future. Changes in the percentage share of cropland showed a declining trend; thus, the potential risk of cropland loss should be monitored.

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Trade-offs between three forest ecosystem services across the state of New Hampshire, USA: timber, carbon, and albedo

Ecological Applications ◽

10.1890/14-2207 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 146-161 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

David A. Lutz ◽

Elizabeth A. Burakowski ◽

Mackenzie B. Murphy ◽

Mark E. Borsuk ◽

Rebecca M. Niemiec ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

New Hampshire ◽

Forest Ecosystem ◽

The State ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Forest Ecosystem Services

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Trade-Offs and Synergies of Ecosystem Services in the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13169155 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (16) ◽

pp. 9155

Author(s):

Qiongrui Zhang ◽

Xuechao Sun ◽

Kebin Zhang ◽

Zhenni Liao ◽

Songjun Xu

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Habitat Quality ◽

Pearl River Delta ◽

Food Production ◽

Urban Agglomeration ◽

Pearl River ◽

Water Yield ◽

The Pearl River Delta ◽

Trade Offs ◽

The Pearl River

Since ecosystem services (ESs) have become effective tools for urban planning, spatiotemporal analysis of regional ESs and a deep understanding of the trade-offs among ESs are of great significance to regional governance. In this study, the spatial and temporal changes of four basic ESs were analyzed by combining statistical data with the InVEST model across the Pearl River Delta (PRD) urban agglomeration, China. The trade-offs among the related ESs were analyzed at the urban agglomeration scale and the city scale by correlation analysis. The results showed that: (1) Construction land increased by 6.78% from 2000 to 2018, while cultivated land and forest decreased. (2) Water yield showed an increasing trend, while carbon storage, food production, and habitat quality showed a downward trend from 2000 to 2018. (3) The four ecosystem services were significantly correlated, with synergies existing between water yield and food production, and between habitat quality and carbon storage, while other relationships are trade-offs. What is more, the scale has little influence on the direction of ES trade-off or synergy but influences the degree of the relationship. This empirical evidence on ES relationships in urban agglomerations can provide a reference for the sustainable development of ESs and efficient management of urban agglomerations.

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Reconciling biodiversity conservation, food production and farmers’ demand

10.1101/485607 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Montoya ◽

Sabrina Gaba ◽

Claire de Mazancourt ◽

Vincent Bretagnolle ◽

Michel Loreau

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Global Change ◽

Biodiversity Conservation ◽

Food Production ◽

Crop Production ◽

Natural Habitat ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Demographic Stochasticity ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Intensively Managed

AbstractAgricultural management should consider multiple services and stakeholders. Yet, it remains unclear how to guarantee the provision of ecosystem services that reaches stakeholders’ demands, especially considering the observed biodiversity decline and the current global change predictions that may affect food security. Here, we use a model to examine how landscape composition – fraction of semi-natural habitat (SNH) – affects biodiversity and crop production services in intensively-managed agricultural systems. We analyse three groups of stakeholders assumed to value different ecosystem services most – individual farmers (crop yield per area), agricultural unions (landscape production) and conservationists (biodiversity). We find that trade-offs among stakeholders’ demands strongly depend on the degree of pollination dependence of crops, the strength of environmental and demographic stochasticity, and the relative amount of an ecosystem service demanded by each stakeholder, i.e. function thresholds. Intermediate amounts of SNH can allow for the delivery of relatively high levels of the three ecosystem services. Our analysis further suggests that the current levels of SNH protection lie below these intermediate amounts of SNH in intensively-managed agricultural landscapes. Given the worldwide trends in agriculture and global change, these results suggest ways of managing landscapes to reconcile the demands of several actors and ensure for biodiversity conservation and food production.

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Ecosystem Service Benefits and Trade-Offs—Selecting Tree Species in Denmark for Bioenergy Production

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11030277 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 277

Author(s):

Eszter Sántha ◽

Niclas Scott Bentsen

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Woody Species ◽

Timber Harvest ◽

Carbon Cycles ◽

Bioenergy Production ◽

Commercial Thinning ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Increasing Demand ◽

Biomass For Energy

Research highlights: The study enabled us to quantitatively assess ecosystem benefits and trade-offs, to characterize species as generalists or specialists, and findings suggest that producing biomass for energy is more likely to serve multiple objectives if it is implemented in an integrated production system. Background and Objectives: Biomass is one of the main and largest sources of renewable energy. In Denmark, the production of biomass for energy is mainly based on timber harvest residues from pre-commercial thinning of forest stands. However, there is an increasing demand for bioenergy that require biomass to be grown specifically for energy purposes even though the sustainability and climate change mitigation potential of bioenergy plantations have recently been questioned in terms of food production, land use, land use change and terrestrial carbon cycles. The overall objective of the research is to better understand the opportunities and trade-offs between different woody and non-woody energy crops. Material and Methods: This study assessed the ecosystem services of seven woody species and one perennial along a management intensity continuum with a main focus on bioenergy production. Results: Results of the analysis showed that there are complex interrelations between ecosystem services and significant differences between species in providing those services. Conclusions: Species with a highest energy benefit among assessed species were poplar and grand fir, while beech and oak proved the best in providing biodiversity benefits.

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Quantitative Assessment for the Spatiotemporal Changes of Ecosystem Services, Tradeoff–Synergy Relationships and Drivers in the Semi-Arid Regions of China

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs14010239 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 239

Author(s):

Yongge Li ◽

Wei Liu ◽

Qi Feng ◽

Meng Zhu ◽

Linshan Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Food Production ◽

Water Retention ◽

Hexi Corridor ◽

The Past ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Soil Retention ◽

The Qilian Mountains ◽

Hexi Region ◽

Synergistic Relationships

Ecosystem services in arid inland regions are significantly affected by climate change and land use/land cover change associated with agricultural activity. However, the dynamics and relationships of ecosystem services affected by natural and anthropogenic drivers in inland regions are still less understood. In this study, the spatiotemporal patterns of ecosystem services in the Hexi Region were quantified based on multiple high-resolution datasets, the InVEST model and the Revised Wind Erosion Equation (RWEQ) model. In addition, the trade-offs and synergistic relationships among multiple ecosystem services were also explored by Pearson correlation analysis and bivariate spatial autocorrelation, and redundancy analysis (RDA) was also employed to determine the environmental drivers of these services and interactions. The results showed that most ecosystem services had a similar spatial distribution pattern with an increasing trend from northwest to southeast. Over the past 40 years, ecosystem services in the Hexi Region have improved significantly, with the water retention and soil retention increasing by 87.17 × 108 m3 and 287.84 × 108 t, respectively, and the sand fixation decreasing by 369.17 × 104 t. Among these ecosystem services, strong synergistic relationships were detected, while the trade-offs were found to be weak, and showed significant spatial heterogeneity in the Hexi Region. The spatial synergies and trade-offs in the Qilian Mountains were 1.02 and 1.37 times higher than those in the Hexi Corridor, respectively. Human activities were found to exacerbate the trade-offs between ecosystem services by increasing water consumption in the Hexi Corridor, with the exception of carbon storage. In particular, there were significant tradeoffs between food production and water retention, and between soil retention and habitat quality in the oases of the Hexi Corridor, which is affected by rapid population growth and cropland expansion. Additionally, precipitation, temperature and vegetation cover in the Qilian Mountains have increased significantly over the past four decades, and these increases significantly contributed to the enhancements in water retention, carbon storage, habitat quality, soil retention and food production. Nevertheless, the amount of sand fixation significantly decreased, and this was probably associated with the reduction in wind speed over the past four decades. Our results highlighted the importance of climate wetting and water resource management in the enhancement of ecosystem services and the mitigation of food production trade-offs for arid inland regions.

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The evolution of the ‘wheat trap’: the Nigerian wheat boom

Africa ◽

10.2307/1160533 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 61 (4) ◽

pp. 471-501 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Kevin Kimmage

Keyword(s):

Food Production ◽

Large Scale ◽

Import Substitution ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

The State ◽

Northern Nigeria ◽

Self Sufficiency

AbstractIn the 1970s large-scale irrigation in Nigeria failed to produce the import-substituting wheat which was to a large extent its raison d'être. Nigerian determination to achieve wheat self-sufficiency has continued through the medium of the recently expanded ADP schemes. After outlining the conjunction of events which led to the formation of the original ‘wheat trap’ envisaged by Andrae and Beckman (1985), this article goes on to demonstrate how the ADP scheme established in Kano State has led to significant changes in agricultural practices and patterns of production within the state. It is argued that, in the longer term, the socio-economic, agronomic, ecological and pedological consequences of the federal government's present wheat import substitution policies could be disastrous for food production in northern Nigeria.

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