Meeting the challenge of food and energy security

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Karp, A. and Richter, G. M. 2011. Meeting the challenge of food and energy security. Journal of Experimental Botany. 62 (10), pp. 3263-3271. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/err099

AuthorsKarp, A. and Richter, G. M.
Abstract

Growing crops for bioenergy or biofuels is increasingly viewed as conflicting with food production. However, energy use continues to rise and food production requires fuel inputs, which have increased with intensification. Focussing on the question of food or fuel is thus not helpful. The bigger, more pertinent, challenge is how the increasing demands for food and energy can be met in the future, particularly when water and land availability will be limited. Energy crop production systems differ greatly in environmental impact. The use of high-input food crops for liquid transport fuels (first-generation biofuels) needs to be phased out and replaced by the use of crop residues and low-input perennial crops (second/advanced-generation biofuels) with multiple environmental benefits. More research effort is needed to improve yields of biomass crops grown on lower grade land, and maximum value should be extracted through the exploitation of co-products and integrated biorefinery systems. Policy must continually emphasize the changes needed and tie incentives to improved greenhous gas reduction and environmental performance of biofuels.

Year of Publication2011
JournalJournal of Experimental Botany
Journal citation62 (10), pp. 3263-3271
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/err099
Open accessPublished as bronze (free) open access
FunderBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Funder project or codeCentre for Biofuels and Climate Change (BCC)
Genetic improvement of perennial biomass crops within a sustainable land use context
The BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre (BSBEC): Perennial Bioenergy Crops Programme [2009-2014]
Development and application of models for soil-plant-atmosphere interactions to optimize resource capture and management of low-input systems
The BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre (BSBEC): Perennial Bioenergy Crops Programme [2009-2015]
Publisher's version
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online01 Jun 2011
PublisherAcademic Press, Oxford
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Copyright licensePublisher copyright
ISSN0022-0957

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