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Eory, V., MacLeod, M., Shrestha, S., & Roberts, D. (2014). Linking an economic and a life-cycle analysis biophysical model to support agricultural greenhouse gas mitigation policy. German Journal of Agricultural Economics, 63, 133–142.
Abstract: Greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation is one of the main challenges facing agriculture, exacerbated by the increasing demand for food, in particular for livestock products. Production expansion needs to be accompanied by reductions in the GHG emission intensity of agricultural products, if significant increases in emissions are to be avoided. Suggested farm management changes often have systemic effects on farm, therefore their investigation requires a whole farm approach. At the same time, changes in GHG emissions arising offfarm in food supply chains (pre- or post-farm) can also occur as a consequence of these management changes. A modelling framework that quantifies the whole-farm, life-cycle effects of GHG mitigation measures on emissions and farm finances has been developed. It is demonstrated via a case study of sexed semen on Scottish dairy farms. The results show that using sexed semen on dairy farms might be a costeffective way to reduce emissions from cattle production by increasing the amount of lower emission intensity ‘dairy beef’ produced. It is concluded that a modelling framework combining a GHG life cycle analysis model and an economic model is a useful tool to help designing targeted agri-environmental policies at regional and national levels. It has the flexibility to model a wide variety of farm types, locations and management changes, and the LCA-approach adopted helps to ensure that GHG emission leakage does not occur in the supply chain.
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Helming, K., & Janssen, S. (2014). LIAISE – Linking Impact Assessment instruments with sustainability expertise. FACCE MACSUR Mid-term Scientific Conference, 3(S) Sassari, Italy.
Abstract: Impact Assessment for Sustainable Development: Knowledge Systems for the Future The ex ante Impact Asssessment of planned policies has developed as an important part of policy making within the European institutions as well as in Member States. The analysis of expected economic, social and environmental impacts informs the decision making. Collecting relevant and trustworthy evidence is a challenge for policy decisions. At the same time, Impact Assessment is an opportunity for researchers, research organisations and funding agencies to develop knowledge relevant for societal decision making.As a European research consortium LIAISE investigated over the past 4.5 years the Impact Assessment (IA) practices in relation to Sustainable Development (SD). Specific attention was given to the question how the process of IA in various venues (i.e. nation states, supra national organizations and local organizations) is related to the processes of research and knowledge production.
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Schäfer, A. S. (2014). Landwirtschaftliche Erträge und ihre ökonomischen Einflussfaktoren. B.Sc., B.Sc.. Bachelor's thesis, University of Bonn, Bonn.
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Wolf, P., & Holz, K. (2014). LandPaKT. FACCE MACSUR Mid-term Scientific Conference, 3(S) Sassari, Italy.
Abstract: LandPaKT (agricultural techniques: potentials and costs of greenhouse gas mitigation) is a joint project of the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering (ATB) and the Agricultural-Horticultural Faculty of the Humboldt University Berlin. Within the established graduate school LandPaKT, seven PhD students analyse the mitigation potentials and costs of greenhouse gas emissions systematically and merge them at the farm level. With the re-wetting of organic soils, the carbon sequestration in mineral soils depending on agricultural activities and the livestock husbandry, the most important sectors of agriculture are included in the analyses. With modelling and simulation approaches, single as well as combined measures are analysed with regard to their overall effect. Recommendations for the most-promising measures at farm level are deduced. Based on a farm model for water-use efficiency, developed within another ATB project (AgroHyd), LandPaKT aims to expand the model by greenhouse gas emissions. The graduate school started in May 2013.The increase of the global human population with the resulting increase in food demand accompanied by changed consumption patterns urgently calls for the exploitation of mitigation options in animal husbandry. Based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, methodological recommendations for carbon footprint analyses for dairy farming will be developed. Furthermore, the influence of different feeds and feeding strategies on greenhouse gas emission from dairy farming will be investigated.
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Popp, A., Rose, S. K., Calvin, K., Van Vuuren, D. P., Dietrich, J. P., Wise, M., et al. (2014). Land-use transition for bioenergy and climate stabilization: model comparison of drivers, impacts and interactions with other land use based mitigation options. Clim. Change, 123(3-4), 495–509.
Abstract: In this article, we evaluate and compare results from three integrated assessment models (GCAM, IMAGE, and ReMIND/MAgPIE) regarding the drivers and impacts of bioenergy production on the global land system. The considered model frameworks employ linked energy, economy, climate and land use modules. By the help of these linkages the direct competition of bioenergy with other energy technology options for greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, based on economic costs and GHG emissions from bioenergy production, has been taken into account. Our results indicate that dedicated bioenergy crops and biomass residues form a potentially important and cost-effective input into the energy system. At the same time, however, the results differ strongly in terms of deployment rates, feedstock composition and land-use and greenhouse gas implications. The current paper adds to earlier work by specific looking into model differences with respect to the land-use component that could contribute to the noted differences in results, including land cover allocation, land use constraints, energy crop yields, and non-bioenergy land mitigation options modeled. In scenarios without climate change mitigation, bioenergy cropland represents 10-18 % of total cropland by 2100 across the different models, and boosts cropland expansion at the expense of carbon richer ecosystems. Therefore, associated emissions from land-use change and agricultural intensification as a result of bio-energy use range from 14 and 113 Gt CO2-eq cumulatively through 2100. Under climate policy, bioenergy cropland increases to 24-36 % of total cropland by 2100.
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