Title
Ghg balance of agricultural intensification & bioenergy production in the orinoquia region, colombia
Author
Ramírez-Contreras, N.E.
Munar-Florez, C.
van der Hilst, F.
Espinosa, J.C.
Ocampo-Duran, A.
Ruiz-Delgado, J.
Molina-Lopez, D.L.
Wicke, B.
Garcia-Nunez, J.A.
Faaij, A.P.C.
Publication year
2021
Abstract
Energy crop expansion can increase land demand and generate displacement of food crops, which impacts greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mainly through land-use change (LUC). Increased agricultural productivity could compensate for this. Our study aims to evaluate the regional combined GHG emissions of increasing agricultural yields for food crop and beef production and using the generated surplus land for biomass production to replace fossil fuels in the Orinoquia region of Colombia until 2030. The results show that surplus land for biomass production is obtained only when strong measures are applied to increase agricultural productivity. In the medium and high scenario, a land surplus of 0.6 and 2.4 Mha, respectively, could be generated. Such intensification results in up to 83% emission reduction in Orinoquia’s agricultural sector, largely coming from increasing productivity of cattle production and improving degraded pastures. Biofuel potential from the surplus land is projected at 36 to 368 PJ per year, with a low risk of causing indirect LUC, and results in GHG emission reductions of more than 100% compared to its fossil fuel equivalent.An integrated perspective of the agricultural land use enables sustainable production of both food and bioenergy.
Subject
Land-use change
Biomass
Cattle
Sustainable intensification
Biofuels
Bioelectricity
Palm
oil; sugarcane; acacia
Energy Efficiency
Energy / Geological Survey Netherlands
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:5af4e369-b73a-436b-84cc-210aedd884be
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/land10030289
TNO identifier
957568
ISSN
2073-445X
Source
Land, 10 (10), 1-29
Document type
article