Upscaling miscanthus production in the United Kingdom: The benefits, challenges, and trade‐offs

• Published in: Global change biology. Bioenergy Vol. 16; no. 8
• Main Authors: Hodgson, E. M., McCalmont, J., Rowe, R., Whitaker, J., Holder, A., Clifton‐Brown, J. C., Thornton, J., Hastings, A., Robson, P. R. H., Webster, R. J., Farrar, K., Donnison, I. S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.08.2024; Wiley
• Subjects: Agricultural land; agricultural land classification (ALC); Alternative energy sources; Arable land; BECCS; Biodiversity; bioenergy; Biomass; Biomass energy; Biomass energy production; buffer strip; Carbon; Carbon sequestration; Climate change; Crop production; Crops; Dietary restrictions; Economics; ecosystem services; Electricity; Emissions; Emissions control; Energy crops; Energy industry; Environmental impact; Environmental management; Farming systems; Food production; Food security; Geography; Grasslands; Industrial plant emissions; Land area; Land management; Land use; Perennial crops; Quality control; Reviews; soil carbon (SOC); Soil improvement; Tradeoffs; Water quality; England; Scotland; United Kingdom > UK; Europe; Wales
• ISSN: 1757-1693; 1757-1707
• DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.13177

The UK sixth carbon budget has recommended domestic biomass supply should increase to meet growing demand, planting a minimum of 30,000 hectares of perennial energy crops a year by 2035, with a view to establishing 700,000 hectares by 2050 to meet the requirements of the balanced net zero pathway. Miscanthus is a key biomass crop to scale up domestic biomass production in the United Kingdom. A cohesive land management strategy, based on robust evidence, will be required to ensure upscaling of miscanthus cultivation maximizes the environmental and economic benefits and minimizes undesirable consequences. This review examines research into available land areas, environmental impacts, barriers to uptake, and the challenges, benefits, and trade‐offs required to upscale miscanthus production on arable land and grassland in the United Kingdom. Expansion of perennial biomass crops has been considered best restricted to marginal land, less suited to food production. The review identifies a trade‐off between avoiding competition with food production and a risk of encroaching on areas containing high‐biodiversity or high‐carbon stocks, such as semi‐natural grasslands. If areas of land suitable for food production are needed to produce the biomass required for emission reduction, the review indicates there are multiple strategies for miscanthus to complement long‐term food security rather than compete with it. On arable land, a miscanthus rotation with a cycle length of 10–20 years can be employed as fallow period for fields experiencing yield decline, soil fatigue, or persistent weed problems. On improved grassland areas, miscanthus presents an option for diversification, flood mitigation, and water quality improvement. Strategies need to be developed to integrate miscanthus into farming systems in a way that is profitable, sensitive to local demand, climate, and geography, and complements rather than competes with food production by increasing overall farm profitability and resilience. Miscanthus is considered a key biomass crop for sustainable energy generation, carbon capture, and storage in the United Kingdom. Significant upscaling of domestic biomass production will be required to remove historic carbon emissions from the atmosphere to mitigate climate change. This review examined the current evidence regarding land availability, environmental impacts, and farmer perspectives that must be considered to build a cohesive land management strategy for upscaling UK miscanthus production. The review identifies multiple strategies for integrating miscanthus into farming systems in a way that can complement rather than compete with essential food production by improving overall farm profitability and resilience.