Ecological and economic analysis of agricultural biomass production in Baden-Württemberg
The objective of the research project was to evaluate regional competition potentials of agricultural biomass in Baden-Württemberg (BW) in consideration of future changing frameworks of agricultural and environmental policies.
Not only food and feed supplies were considered but also biogas substrates and perennial plants for lignocellulose production. In order to address these issues, the economic-ecological agricultural model EFEM (Economic Farm Emission Model) was used and advanced to answer these specific questions.
The regional subdivisions of the federal state are represented by eight agro-ecological regions (“Vergleichsgebietsgruppen” VGG) in which the federal state is subdivided into areas with similar natural agricultural productivity while also including geological, topographical and climatic conditions as well as taking into consideration the very heterogeneous agricultural production conditions in BW.
During the study, method comparisons were conducted, to determine the derivation of the substrate supply defined by EFEM and the actual specific substrate demand. In this process, silage maize, being the most important agricultural biogas substrate, showed a positive compliance. The results for permanent grassland, clover-grass and whole crop silage, on the other hand, differed considerably.
EFEM was also used in the Competence Network Modeling the Bioeconomy. This enabled the effects of increased use of agricultural biomass in conversion plants on substrate production for biogas plants. As an example, Figure 1 shows the development of the cultivation area of silage maize as biogas substrate as a function of the price of grain straw as input for biomass conversion plants. It is shown that a rising price for cereal straw leads to an expansion of the cultivation area for cereals up to the model-internal crop rotation restrictions. This leads to a significant decline in cultivation areas for silage maize for biogas plants.
| Project title | Ecological and economic analysis of cultivation and utilization of agricultural biomass substrata and lignocellulose-based crops in Baden-Württemberg |
| Institution | University of Hohenheim, Department of Farm Management |
| Research group | Prof. Dr. Enno Bahrs, Dr. Elisabeth Angenendt, M.Sc. Eckart Petig |
| Project status | completed |