Institut für Kulturpflanzenwissenschaften

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hohpublica.uni-hohenheim.de/handle/123456789/12

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Agrivoltaics: The environmental impacts of combining food crop cultivation and solar energy generation
(2023) Wagner, Moritz; Lask, Jan; Kiesel, Andreas; Lewandowski, Iris; Weselek, Axel; Högy, Petra; Trommsdorff, Max; Schnaiker, Marc-André; Bauerle, Andrea
The demand for food and renewable energy is increasing significantly, whereas the availability of land for agricultural use is declining. Agrivoltaic systems (AVS), which combine agricultural production with solar energy generation on the same area, are a promising opportunity with the potential to satisfy this demand while avoiding land-use conflicts. In the current study, a Consequential Life-Cycle Assessment (CLCA) was conducted to holistically assess the environmental consequences arising from a shift from single-use agriculture to AVS in Germany. The results of the study show that the environmental consequences of the installation of overhead AVS on agricultural land are positive and reduce the impacts in 15 of the 16 analysed impact categories especially for climate change, eutrophication and fossil resource use, as well as in the single score assessment, mainly due to the substitution of the marginal energy mix. It was demonstrated that, under certain conditions, AVS can contribute to the extension of renewable energy production resources without reducing food production resources. These include maintaining the agricultural yields underneath the photovoltaic (PV) modules, seeking synergies between solar energy generation and crop production and minimising the loss of good agricultural land.
Climate‐based identification of suitable cropping areas for giant reed and reed canary grass on marginal land in Central and Southern Europe under climate change
(2023) Ferdini, Sofia; von Cossel, Moritz; Wulfmeyer, Volker; Warrach‐Sagi, Kirsten
Giant reed (GR) and reed canary grass (RCG) have emerged as promising perennial industrial crops for providing sustainable bioenergy from marginal land. However, there is great uncertainty among farmers and researchers about where these crops can be grown in the future due to climate change, which complicates a timely transition to a bioeconomy. Therefore, this study quantifies marginal land and suitable cropping areas for GR and RCG in Europe, as well as their overlap. To derive these areas, the present (1991–2020) and future (2071–2100, RCP8.5) growing degree days, growing season length, annual precipitation, and aridity index were analyzed using the E‐OBS observational dataset and EURO‐CORDEX regional climate simulations. The study concludes that while marginal land will decrease by ~18%, GR and RCG will profit from the changing European climate, increasing by ~24% and ~13%, respectively. Looking at regions of overlap between marginal land and the selected crops, a decrease of ~87% and an increase of ~462% is projected for RCG and GR, respectively. This is due to marginal land shifting southward, benefitting the warm‐season grass GR, while RCG prefers cooler climates.
Exportstrategien und deren Anforderungen an Management und Organisation
(2019) Raupp, Manfred G.
Miscanthus‐derived products for material applications: can they contribute to greenhouse gas emission mitigation?
(2025) Lask, Jan; Weik, Jan; Kiesel, Andreas; Lewandowski, Iris; Wagner, Moritz; Lask, Jan; Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany; Weik, Jan; Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany; Kiesel, Andreas; Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany; Lewandowski, Iris; Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany; Wagner, Moritz; Institute of Applied Ecology, Geisenheim University, Geisenheim, Germany
Miscanthus is a particularly promising lignocellulosic biomass as it can also grow under marginal conditions and can be used for a wide range of products including energy and material applications. The latter, including applications in the construction, textile, chemical, or agricultural sector, is becoming increasingly relevant today. In general, it is hypothesised that biobased products are advantageous in terms of their greenhouse gas (GHG) performance when compared to conventional—in particular fossil—alternatives. To investigate this, the life cycle assessment methodology is typically applied. However, assessments are subject to uncertainty and variability due to assumptions and methodological choices. Given the increasing interest in miscanthus‐derived material applications, this study aims to draw more general conclusions about their GHG performance and relative mitigation potential. This should support a better understanding of their contribution to climate change mitigation objectives and guide the selection of promising products or product groups. A systematic review of peer‐reviewed literature was conducted. In total, 20 studies reporting on 188 comparisons of the GHG performance of miscanthus‐derived and alternative products were assessed. Most comparisons indicated potential GHG mitigation through miscanthus‐derived products, with the majority ranging between 20% and 100% savings. Key parameters defining the relative performance include the selection of the reference product, consideration of soil carbon changes, changes in product and process design, as well as the incorporation of indirect Land Use Change (iLUC) impacts. Overall, we conclude that miscanthus‐derived material applications have the potential to contribute to GHG emission mitigation if iLUC effects are minimised. Given the limited availability of agricultural land, miscanthus‐derived products with high absolute GHG mitigation potential per unit of biomass used and long product lifetime are preferable. For future development, potential environmental trade‐offs need to be monitored.
Navigating the biocosmos: Cornerstones of a bioeconomic utopia
(2023) Onyeali, Wolfgang; Schlaile, Michael P.; Winkler, Bastian
One important insight from complexity science is that the future is open, and that this openness is an opportunity for us to participate in its shaping. The bioeconomy has been part of this process of “future-making”. But instead of a fertile ecosystem of imagined futures, a dry monoculture of ideas seems to dominate the landscape, promising salvation through technology. With this article, weintend to contribute to regenerating the ecological foundations of the bioeconomy. What would it entail if we were to merge with the biosphere instead of machines? To lay the cornerstones of a bioeconomic utopia, we explore the basic principles of self-organization that underlie biological, ecological, social, and psychological processes alike. All these are self-assembling and self-regulating elastic structures that exist at the edge of chaos and order. We then revisit the Promethean problem that lies at the foundation of bioeconomic thought and discuss how, during industrialization, the principles of spontaneous self-organization were replaced by the linear processes of the assembly line. We ultimately propose a bioeconomy based on human needs with the household as the basic unit: the biocosmos. The biocosmos is an agroecological habitat system of irreducible complexity, a newhumanniche embedded into the local ecosystem.
Social assessment of miscanthus cultivation in Croatia: Assessing farmers' preferences and willingness to cultivate the crop
(2023) Marting Vidaurre, Nirvana A.; Jurišić, Vanja; Bieling, Claudia; Magenau, Elena; Wagner, Moritz; Kiesel, Andreas; Lewandowski, Iris
Social aspects of miscanthus cultivation have been investigated in a limited way in the scientific literature. Adopting existing frameworks for social life‐cycle assessment enables assessments to include numerous social aspects; however, the relevance of these aspects depends on the local context. This study aims to identify the most relevant social aspects from the farmers' perspective using a previously proposed framework for the assessment of the stakeholder ‘farmer’. It is based on a case study for miscanthus production in Sisak Moslavina in Croatia. The existence of abandoned lands in Croatia presents an opportunity for the cultivation of miscanthus as a potential source of biomass for the production of bio‐based materials and fuels. The study seeks to assess the feasibility of cultivating miscanthus in the region, taking into account potential challenges and opportunities, as well as farmers' willingness to adopt the crop, and to understand the reasons behind land abandonment. We conducted a survey among 44 farmers in the region and used a scoring method to identify the most relevant social aspects. The aspects most valued by the farmers were health and safety, access to water, land consolidation and rights, income and local employment, and food security. Responses to the question of whether they would adopt the crop highlight the importance of an established market, good trading conditions and profitability of cultivation. The survey also enabled an understanding of farmers' preferences with respect to the production conditions of crops. The farmers regarded the provision of subsidies as one of the main factors that render a crop attractive. Opportunities for the adoption of the miscanthus cultivation include high yields and low input requirements. Barriers include land conflicts and land availability. Despite the opportunities for miscanthus development in the region, there are important challenges to consider for successful implementation of the crop.
Social-ecologically more sustainable agricultural production
(2023) von Cossel, Moritz; Castro-Montoya, Joaquín; Iqbal, Yasir
To move or not to move—factors influencing small-scale herder and livestock movements in the Dzungarian Gobi, Mongolia
(2023) Michler, Lena M.; Kaczensky, Petra; Oyunsaikhan, Ganbaatar; Bartzke, Gundula S.; Devineau, Olivier; Treydte, Anna C.
In Mongolia, where nomadic pastoralism is still practiced by around one-third of the population, increasing livestock numbers, socio-economic constraints and climate change raise concerns over rangeland health. Little empirical evidence explains what triggers camp moves of pastoralists in the Dzungarian Gobi in Mongolia, which factors influence grazing mobility around camps, and how altitudinal migration benefits small livestock. We combined GPS tracking data of 19 small livestock herds monitored from September 2018 to April 2020 with remotely sensed climate and environmental data. We used general linear-mixed models to analyse variables influencing camp use duration and daily mobility patterns. To understand the importance of the altitudinal migration, we compared climatic conditions along the elevation gradient and looked at seasonal body weight changes of small livestock. We found that available plant biomass and season best explained camp use duration. Daily walking distance and maximum distance from camp increased with camp use duration. Pasture time increased with increasing biomass and rising temperatures. We conclude that herders in the Dzungarian Gobi have optimized pasture use by reacting to changes in biomass availability at landscape and local scale, and by embracing altitudinal migration. Flexibility in grazing mobility seems to have enabled local herder communities to practise sustainable pasture use. Maintaining this mobility will most likely be the best strategy to deal with environmental change under the current climate change scenarios.
Towards more nuanced narratives in bioeconomy strategies and policy documents to support knowledge-driven sustainability transitions
(2025) Stoye, Juliane; Schlaile, Michael P.; von Cossel, Moritz; Bertacchi, Stefano; Escórcio, Rita; Winkler, Bastian; Curran, Thomas P.; Ní Chléirigh, Laoise; Nic an Bhaird, Máire; Klakla, Jan Bazyli; Nachtergaele, Pieter; Ciantar, Hailey; Scheurich, Philipp; Lewandowski, Iris; Reinmuth, Evelyn; Hopmans, Jan
The bioeconomy has been discussed as a key strategy for addressing sustainability challenges, particularly regarding the transition from fossil-based to bio-based systems, in numerous national and supranational strategies and policy documents related to the bioeconomy. However, public understanding of and engagement with the bioeconomy remains limited. This is partly due to the bias of many bioeconomy strategies and policy documents towards technological solutions that tend to overlook the social, normative, and transformative dimensions of systemic change as well as the necessary knowledge. This opinion paper explores the potential of narratives as a means of communicating bioeconomy research in public policy, with the aim of addressing the communication gap between science, policy, and society. When applied in responsible and nuanced ways that acknowledge their embeddedness and context, bioeconomy (policy) narratives can support sensemaking for science communication, improve public understanding, facilitate stakeholder engagement and behavioural change. We argue that such narrative approaches can help to create narrative ‘boundary objects’ that can support more inclusive and participatory processes, enabling the co-creation of transformative knowledge for bioeconomy transitions with stakeholders as active participants. In summary, we highlight several opportunities, as well as limitations and implications, that could inform future work on bioeconomy narratives.

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