Economics of Sustainable Energy in Agriculture (Economy & Environment Book 24)

This book contains up-to-date studies on the economics of sustainable energy in agriculture. The studies focus on energy efficiency improvement and the use of biomass. Specific attention is paid to the economic aspects of land use and the competition for land, both for food production and dedicated energy crops. The book will be of special interest to economists, agronomists, energy experts, and politicians that deal with energy issues in agriculture, both in developing and industrialised countries. The book is relevant for those who are interested in the topic of global warming and carbon sequestration, and the transition towards carbon-free energy resources. Sustainable energy in agriculture : issues and scope / Alfons Oude Lansink, Ekko C. van Ierland and Gustavo Best Better management can improve the efficiency of indirect energy / Tanja J. de Koeijer ... [et al.] Energy investigations of different intensive rape seed rotations a German case study / Johannes Moerschner and Wolfgang Lu cke Modelling energy saving technology choices in Dutch glasshouse horticulture / Kyosti Pietola and Alfons Oude Lansink Energy intensity decomposition in EU agriculture, using a demand analysis / Joaqui n A. Millan Energy use efficiency in biomass production systems / Sanderline Nonhebel Yield increases of the biomass crops Salix viminalis and Miscanthus x giganteus : a look to the future / Leo M. Vleeshouwers Agricultural reference systems in life cycle assessments / Nicolai C. Jungk, Guido A. Reinhardt and Sven O. Ga rtner Energy from hemp? Analysis of the competitiveness of hemp using a Geographical Information System / Claus Brodersen, Klaus Drescher and Kevin McNamara The role of forestry in climate change and sustainable energy production / G. Cornelis van Kooten, Emina Krcmar and Peter J. Graham Modelling water resource allocation : a case study on agriculture versus hydropower production / Jorge Bielsa and Rosa Duarte Development and implementation of the Danish centralised biogas concept financial aspects / Kurt Hjort-Gregersen Can organic farming help to reduce national energy consumption and emissions of greenhouse gasses in Denmark? / Tommy Dalgaard, Niels Halberg and Jes Fenger On renewable energy in rural China / Huang Liming and Ekko C. van Ierland Determining efficient bio-fuel tax exemption policy in France for greenhouse gas emission abatement / Stelios Rozakis, Jean-Claude Sourie and Daniel Vanderpooten.

Fifteen contributions presented by Van Ierland and Lansink (respectively professors of environmental economics and farm management at Wageningen U., Netherlands) are centrally concerned with economic issues related to energy use and production by agriculture. The broad topics addressed include efficiency and intensity of energy use in agriculture, technical issues related to biomass production, the relation between land use and biomass production, the relation between agriculture and other sources of sustainable energy, and possible economic policies for enhancing sustainable energy production and use in agriculture. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

In the coming decades the world faces the challenge to make a transition to sustainable energy use patterns in order to save fossil fuels for future generations and to reduce the negative impacts of burning fossil fuels on the environment.