• Energy Research
• 2. Zero hunger close
• US close
• CA close
• CN close
• ES close
• English close

This presentation gives an overview of the Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Collaborative Research Support Program (SANREM CRSP). The SANREM CRSP utilizes a systems approach to promote many goals including the improvement of agricultural productivity, the empowerment of smallholders, and the promotion of sustainable development. This presentation shows the different components, partners, and structure of the SANREM CRSP, the extent of capacity building efforts, and the long-term research activities for Phase IV. ME (Management Entity)

When evaluating harvesting strategies, there has been much less consideration of the role of harvest selectivity and with how temperature affects population responses. I experimentally manipulated harvest selectivity, intensity and water temperature to test how these factors interacted in influencing the dynamics of a size-structured population of Daphnia magna. Metrics such as recruitment and biomass were higher in treatments with indiscriminate harvesting than in those with size-selective harvesting with increasing harvest intensity. This trend was not consistent, however, between the different temperatures tested. The effect of temperature on maturation likely drove these responses, where at 25C maturation rates were fast enough to allow recruitment to occur between harvest events, whereas at 15C slower maturation likely led to recruitment failure at higher harvest intensities. These results suggest that the impacts of harvest selectivity scale with harvesting intensity, and that harvesting policies should account for this and the modifying effects of temperature.

Metadata only record Adapting to Change in the Andean Highlands: Practices and Strategies to Address Climate and Market Risks in Vulnerable Agro-ecosystems (SANREM CRSP LTRA 4) focus is to identify the consequences of climate change for one of the poorest and most vulnerable regions in the Western Hemisphere and develop adaptive capacities. The project uses a cross disciplinary and participatory approach, linking biophysical and social sciences research with local knowledge systems through participatory institutions. The presentations concentrate on some of the key findings in the context of climate change. In the biophysical sciences Anji Seth will report on Altiplano climate change projections for this century; Peter Motavalli on the mitigation and adaptation aspects of organic soil amendment practices in rural communities; and Karen Garrett on anticipating and responding to plant disease and pests risks. Finally, Valdivia and Gilles will discuss findings on strategies for enhancing the adaptive capacity of small Andean producers. LTRA-4 (Practices and Strategies for Vulnerable Agro-Ecosystems)

This paper provides an overview of the economics of biofuels. It starts by describing the remarkable growth of the biofuel industry over the last decade, with emphasis on developments in the United States, Brazil and the European Union, and it identifies the driving role played by some critical policies. After a brief discussion of the motivations that are commonly argued in favor of biofuels and biofuel policies, the paper presents an assessment of the impacts of biofuels from the economics perspective. In particular, the paper explains the basic analytics of biofuel mandates, reviews several existing studies that have estimated the economic impacts of biofuels, presents some insights from a specific model, and outlines an appraisal of biofuel policies and the environmental impacts of biofuels. The paper concludes with an examination of several open issues and the future prospects of biofuels. Bio-based and Applied Economics, Vol 1 No 3 (2012): Towards a Sustainable Bio-economy: economic issues and policy challenges

There is general consensus in the scientific literature that human-induced climate change has taken place and will continue to do so over the next century. The Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concludes with “very high confidence” that anthropogenic activities such as fossil fuel burning and deforestation have affected the global climate. The AR4 also indicates that global average temperatures are expected to increase by another 1.1°C to 5.4°C by 2100, depending on the increase in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases that takes place during this time. Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, temperature increases, altered precipitation patterns and other factors influenced by climate have already begun to impact U.S. agriculture. Climate change will continue to have significant effects on U.S. agriculture, water resources, land resources, and biodiversity in the future as temperature extremes begin exceeding thresholds that harm crop growth more frequently and precipitation and runoff patterns continue to change. In this study, we provide an assessment of the potential long-term implications of climate change on landowner decisions regarding land use, crop mix, and production practices in the U.S., combining a crop process model (Environmental Policy Integrated Climate model) and an economic model of the U.S. forestry and agricultural sector (Forest and Agricultural Sector Optimization Model). Agricultural producers have always faced numerous production and price risks, but forecasts of more rapid changes in climatic conditions in the future have raised concerns that these risks will increase in the future relative to historical conditions.

This thesis estimates technical and environmental efficiencies for a sample of Ontario dairy farms and examines the relationship between these efficiency measures and characteristics of the farm and farmer. Using a stochastic input distance function to estimate the production relationship between four inputs and four outputs (one of which is greenhouse gas emissions), we find that the Ontario dairy farms have a high level of average technical efficiency but relatively low environmental efficiency. There is a positive and significant correlation between technical and environmental efficiencies. Environmental efficiency measure increases with herd size. The findings suggest there is not a trade-off between technical and environmental efficiency for Ontario dairy farms. Instead, reducing the amount of inputs used to produce a given amount of milk will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Worldwide, soil organic matter (SOM) levels have been on the decline, resulting in a general decline in soil health, particularly in agricultural areas. Changing agricultural management and climate have been related to this change in SOM, but detailed information regarding the relationship is scarce. The objective of this research is to assess and quantify changes in SOM content within the agricultural regions of Southern Ontario, using Middlesex County as a representative area. Digital soil mapping is used along with legacy and recent field-collected soil data to assess how SOM levels are changing with time. Results showed that SOM levels were on a decline, with changing climate correlating the most to this change, followed by crop type and management. This study could benefit decision-makers and producers by enhancing the understanding of the impact of agricultural decisions on overall soil health and help build future policies.

Water and energy are two inextricably linked resources. Each has the potential to limit the development of the other. There is a substantial body of research dedicated to understanding how the availability of water can limit energy production, but the alternate relationship - that of energy limiting water production - has received much less scrutiny. The demand for both resources is predicted to increase in tandem with population growth, potentially creating or adding to conflict in regions of water or energy scarcity. To greater understand the "water/energy nexus," - a commonly used term to describe their interdependence - each phase of water supply and consumption can be broken into discrete segments that have an associated energy requirement, called an energy factor. An energy factor is the amount of energy used to develop, convey and treat a given volume of water. This study presents a methodology for calculating the energy factors of each phase of the water supply cycle that is "outside the retail meter." A case study of a large water system in an arid region of the United States is used as an example system for applying these methods. Using the case study system as a framework, an energy demand model is developed that estimates baseline energy usage for heterogeneous water systems, and then models changes in energy requirement under three alternate water supply and demand scenarios. The results of the model scenarios reveal that water demand reductions, as can be brought about by targeted water efficiency programs, can have extended energy-saving impacts - affecting all other phases of the water supply cycle. A demand reduction of 25% for the case study water system resulted in a cumulative annual energy savings of 8.9 million kilowatt hours (kWh) - a decrease of 28% from its current level of energy consumption. Modeling the conversion of agricultural or currently untreated water to municipal uses within the case study resulted in an increase in energy requirement by 6.3 million kWh - a 20% increase. Reductions in the availability of imported surface water supply, such as those brought about by prolonged drought, climate change or reservoir sedimentation, can increase energy demand as well. An additional 5.7 million kWh are needed to ameliorate the effects of a 35% reduction in surface water supply for the case study water system - an 18% increase from its current energy requirement. The process and findings of this study reveal a lack of emphasis among water agencies concerning energy consumption, and indicate that changes in supply and use patterns have dramatic effects on energy usage.

Advanced biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol are of great interest for their potential to supply a significant portion of U.S. fuel needs plus advantages over corn grain-based ethanol. The sustainability of agriculture-based advanced biofuels depends on how farmers would respond in providing biomass feedstock, yet economic behavior by farmers has been under recognized by the science community. Focusing on markets and policy incentives, this research shows that farmers are unlikely to convert current grain cropland to grow a dedicated cellulosic biomass crop such as switchgrass. However, the financial incentives to harvest cellulosic biomass provided by the 2008 farm bill may stimulate corn production due to demand for corn grain for feed and ethanol and corn residues for advanced biofuels. The prospect of continuous, possibly expanding corn production for advanced biofuels raises the same environmental issues as for corn grain-based ethanol. To assure the environmental sustainability of advanced biofuels production, environmental policies are needed to complement existing bioenergy initiatives.