'Food versus fuel' dilemma could be solved by 'sequential cropping' on farms

A new study may have found a solution to the negative effects biofuel production can have on food production.

The use of sequential cropping – one crop sown after another has been harvested – may be able to provide foodstock for biofuel production without adversely affecting food production, according to the study by Ecofys.

Support for the biofuels industry has suffered recently due to the indirect land use changes it causes, resulting in the ‘food versus. fuel’ dilemma. Titled: ‘Assessing the case for sequential cropping to produce low ILUC risk biomethane’, the Ecofys report offers a potential solution to this problem.

The authors based their study on a single farm in Italy which has used sequential cropping since 2011. A large farm with 255 hectares of land and a stable of 650 cows, it also features a biogas installation with a production capacity of 1 MW of electricity. The sequential cropping system sees the maize farm grow triticale straw in its fallow period, which produces silage for the anaerobic digestation system as well as foodstock for biofuel production. The study authors used the site to look at the wider implications of sequential cropping on generating material for biofuels, how it affects the land and water use as well as the business case for the practice.

They found that through sequential cropping they successfully increased the productivity of the land, rather than having to sacrifice food production for biofuel production. In addition, they also found the sequential cropping method actually increased the quality of the soil, evidenced by an increased carbon uptake.

“We note a 21% decrease in feed costs and a 42% decrease in biogas feedstock costs. This will be the most important reason for farmers to invest in sequential cropping as a yield increase measure”, write the authors in their study conclusion. Although more research is needed into the possible negative effects of the sequential cropping system, the initial test marks an encouraging start.