Title:
Stakeholder Perceptions of Land Use for Anaerobic Digestion, a Case Study from the United Kingdom
Author(s):
Röder, M., O'Keefe, L., Thornley, P.
Document(s):
Paper
Slide presentation
Abstract:
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is of growing importance within the UK bioenergy sector that can make an important contribution to the UK’s energy and climate change targets. With the growth of the sector, discussions about competing land uses are likely to increase and regarding this the awareness and perception of the different stakeholders will play an important role. This research examined stakeholder perceptions of AD and land use. The objective was to consider the competition between food and feedstock production on bio-productive land and to understand the land use and feedstock use within the wider context of on-farm AD. Stakeholder interviews were conducted to identify perceptions of AD in relation to energy crop production and changes to agricultural practices. The results indicated that from an AD operator and feedstock producer perspective, on-farm AD is often more seen as an additional activity integrated into existing agricultural systems than as a renewable energy source. AD and growing energy crops was seen as beneficial to the overall agricultural system when the feedstock production fitted into the existing crop rotation. The public view on using land for AD feedstock production is mixed and mainly based on experiences of 1st generation transport fuels. Nonetheless, land use issues never tend to appear to be the number one argument in opposition against bioenergy. Early communication and transparency during the planning stages and following good practice when operating AD were considered to improve public understanding of AD and land use. The risk of a shift in agricultural practices and large areas to grow energy crops for AD is seen as low for the UK. Nonetheless, land use and related challenges need to be considered as the demand for AD feedstock increases with the fast growth of the industry. Depending on the future development of the feedstock market for AD, the scope of the question of impacts on land use may require a re-phrasing. For this, AD and related land use impacts need to be considered within its wider context, market development, social, institutional and policy framework, specific scale and location of the given agricultural systems.
Keywords:
agriculture, anaerobic digestion, bioenergy, land use, food-fuel interfaces
Topic:
Biomass Policies, Markets and Sustainability
Subtopic:
Public perception and acceptance
Event:
23rd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
4DO.7.3
Pages:
1448 - 1452
ISBN:
978-88-89407-516
Paper DOI:
10.5071/23rdEUBCE2015-4DO.7.3
Price:
FREE
