Project

Integrated modelling framework for sustainable European land use change scenarios for the biobased economy and agriculture

The environmental sustainability of bioenergy and biomaterials highly depends on the direct and indirect land use change caused by the feedstock production. Productivity improvement of food crop and livestock production could avoid or reduce the indirect land use change (ILUC) effects, but intensified systems could even higher the overall environmental burdens. Existing models do not include the effect of agricultural intensification on ILUC and overall environmental sustainability. This PhD-research aims to assess the effect of changes in agricultural management towards highly productive agricultural systems on the environment and land availability for biomass production in Europe.