Page 53 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

The Application of Life Cycle Assessment on Agricultural 39

increment while carbon dioxide emitted during production, transportation, and
processing must be taken into account. The conversion efficiency of the product
should be considered together with its end use to limit the risk of policy failure.
The appropriateness of different bioenergy production systems in economic,
environmental, and social terms will depend to a large extent on national and local
circumstances. In planning a bioenergy strategy, analysis of different options and
their broad impacts should be carried out to ensure that policy objectives will be
met (Anonymous 2008). It is understood that a well-integrated plan of food and
energy production may be one of the best ways to improve food and energy
security and simultaneously reduce poverty in a climate-smart way (Bogdanski
et al. 2010).

2 Agriculture and Energy: A Strong Interchangeable
Relationship

Agriculture and energy have always been tied by close links although the nature
and strength of the relationship keep changing over time (FAO 2008). In modern
agricultural production, energy consumption is one of the major factors that
establishes security and abundance in food supply chain. This is very true as
agriculture became increasingly reliant on chemical fertilizers, the use of pesti-
cides, the introduction of new hybrid varieties, the application of irrigation in arid
regions, and the introduction of powered farm machinery. Fossil fuels, especially
oil and natural gas, have enabled the intensification of farm productivity. Natural
gas provides the hydrogen and energy used to produce most nitrogen fertilizers and
both gas and oil are the sources for other agricultural chemicals, including pes-
ticides and herbicides (Heinberg and Bomford 2009). In addition, food storage,
processing, and distribution are often energy intensive activities. Consequently,
higher energy costs have a direct and strong impact on agricultural production
costs and food prices (Bata and Bhonot 2011). Nevertheless, environmental,
economical, and social needs require a rapprochement of agricultural and farming
systems toward sustainable production (Korres et al. 2011). The recent emergence
of gaseous and liquid biofuels based on agricultural crops as transport fuels has
reasserted the linkages between energy and agricultural output markets. Demand
for agricultural feedstocks for bioenergy production will be a significant factor for
agricultural markets and for world agriculture over the next decade and perhaps
beyond (FAO FAO 2008). Particularly, the demand for biofuel feedstocks may
help reverse the long-term decline in real agricultural commodity prices, creating
both opportunities and risks (FAO 2008). This, although fossil fuels are expected
to remain the bulk of the primary energy mix, can be seen as renewable energy is
on the rise and will continue to be so in the future. The world’s total primary
energy demand amounts to about 12,274.6 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe)
per year whereas biomass, including agricultural and forest products and organic
wastes and residues, accounts for 10 % of this total (BP 2012).