Assessing the energy trap of industrial agriculture in North America and Europe

Early energy analyses of agriculture revealed that behind higher labor and land productivity of industrial farming, there was a decrease in energy returns on the energy invested (EROI), in comparison to more traditional organic agricultural systems. Studies on recent trends show that efficiency gain...

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Autores: Tello, Enric|||0000-0002-4970-1524, Sacristán, Vera|||0000-0003-0203-256X, Olarieta, José R., Cattaneo, Claudio|||0000-0001-7049-9298, Marull, Joan|||0000-0002-7793-4165, Pons, Manel, Gingrich, Simone|||0000-0001-7891-8688, Krausmann, Fridolin, Galán, Elena|||0000-0001-6809-737X, Marco, Inés, Padro i Caminal, Roc|||0000-0001-7880-5026, Guzmán, Gloria I., González de Molina, Manuel|||0000-0002-0253-6971, Cunfer, Geoff, MacFadyen, Joshua, Fraňková, Eva, Aguilera, Eduardo, Infante-Amate, Juan, Urrego-Mesa, Alexander, Soto, David, Parcerisas, Lluis, Dupras, Jérôme|||0000-0001-5422-6345, Díez-Sanjuán, Lucía, Caravaca, Jonathan, Gómez, Laura, Fullana, Onofre, Murray, Ivan, Jover, Gabriel, Cussó i Segura, Xavier|||0000-0001-9274-5031, Garrabou, Ramon
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:310556
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/310556
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1007/s13593-023-00925-5
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Agricultural systems
EROI (energy return on energy investment)
Agroecosystem
Circularity
Socioecological transition
Dietary transition
Forest transition
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spelling Assessing the energy trap of industrial agriculture in North America and Europe82 balances from 1830 to 2012Tello, Enric|||0000-0002-4970-1524Sacristán, Vera|||0000-0003-0203-256XOlarieta, José R.Cattaneo, Claudio|||0000-0001-7049-9298Marull, Joan|||0000-0002-7793-4165Pons, ManelGingrich, Simone|||0000-0001-7891-8688Krausmann, FridolinGalán, Elena|||0000-0001-6809-737XMarco, InésPadro i Caminal, Roc|||0000-0001-7880-5026Guzmán, Gloria I.González de Molina, Manuel|||0000-0002-0253-6971Cunfer, GeoffMacFadyen, JoshuaFraňková, EvaAguilera, EduardoInfante-Amate, JuanUrrego-Mesa, AlexanderSoto, DavidParcerisas, LluisDupras, Jérôme|||0000-0001-5422-6345Díez-Sanjuán, LucíaCaravaca, JonathanGómez, LauraFullana, OnofreMurray, IvanJover, GabrielCussó i Segura, Xavier|||0000-0001-9274-5031Garrabou, RamonAgricultural systemsEROI (energy return on energy investment)AgroecosystemCircularitySocioecological transitionDietary transitionForest transitionEarly energy analyses of agriculture revealed that behind higher labor and land productivity of industrial farming, there was a decrease in energy returns on the energy invested (EROI), in comparison to more traditional organic agricultural systems. Studies on recent trends show that efficiency gains in production and use of inputs have again somewhat improved energy returns. However, most of these agricultural energy studies have focused only on external inputs at the crop level, concealing the important role of internal biomass flows that livestock and forestry recirculate within agroecosystems. Here, we synthesize the results of 82 farm systems in North America and Europe from 1830 to 2012 that for the first time show the changing energy profiles of agroecosystems, including livestock and forestry, with a multi-EROI approach that accounts for the energy returns on external inputs, on internal biomass reuses, and on all inputs invested. With this historical circular bioeconomic approach, we found a general trend towards much lower external returns, little or no increases in internal returns, and almost no improvement in total returns. This "energy trap" was driven by shifts towards a growing dependence of crop production on fossil-fueled external inputs, much more intensive livestock production based on feed grains, less forestry, and a structural disintegration of agroecosystem components by increasingly linear industrial farm managements. We conclude that overcoming the energy trap requires nature-based solutions to reduce current dependence on fossil-fueled external industrial inputs and increase the circularity and complexity of agroecosystems to provide healthier diets with less animal products. 22023-01-0120232023-01-01Articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501VoRhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://ddd.uab.cat/record/310556https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1007/s13593-023-00925-5reponame:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UABinstname:Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaInglésengEuropean Commission https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000780 ERC-2017-StG 757995 HEFTMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovación https://doi.org/10.13039/501100004837 PID2021-123129NB-C4open accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:ddd.uab.cat:3105562026-06-06T12:50:31Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Assessing the energy trap of industrial agriculture in North America and Europe
82 balances from 1830 to 2012
title Assessing the energy trap of industrial agriculture in North America and Europe
spellingShingle Assessing the energy trap of industrial agriculture in North America and Europe
Tello, Enric|||0000-0002-4970-1524
Agricultural systems
EROI (energy return on energy investment)
Agroecosystem
Circularity
Socioecological transition
Dietary transition
Forest transition
title_short Assessing the energy trap of industrial agriculture in North America and Europe
title_full Assessing the energy trap of industrial agriculture in North America and Europe
title_fullStr Assessing the energy trap of industrial agriculture in North America and Europe
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the energy trap of industrial agriculture in North America and Europe
title_sort Assessing the energy trap of industrial agriculture in North America and Europe
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Tello, Enric|||0000-0002-4970-1524
Sacristán, Vera|||0000-0003-0203-256X
Olarieta, José R.
Cattaneo, Claudio|||0000-0001-7049-9298
Marull, Joan|||0000-0002-7793-4165
Pons, Manel
Gingrich, Simone|||0000-0001-7891-8688
Krausmann, Fridolin
Galán, Elena|||0000-0001-6809-737X
Marco, Inés
Padro i Caminal, Roc|||0000-0001-7880-5026
Guzmán, Gloria I.
González de Molina, Manuel|||0000-0002-0253-6971
Cunfer, Geoff
MacFadyen, Joshua
Fraňková, Eva
Aguilera, Eduardo
Infante-Amate, Juan
Urrego-Mesa, Alexander
Soto, David
Parcerisas, Lluis
Dupras, Jérôme|||0000-0001-5422-6345
Díez-Sanjuán, Lucía
Caravaca, Jonathan
Gómez, Laura
Fullana, Onofre
Murray, Ivan
Jover, Gabriel
Cussó i Segura, Xavier|||0000-0001-9274-5031
Garrabou, Ramon
author Tello, Enric|||0000-0002-4970-1524
author_facet Tello, Enric|||0000-0002-4970-1524
Sacristán, Vera|||0000-0003-0203-256X
Olarieta, José R.
Cattaneo, Claudio|||0000-0001-7049-9298
Marull, Joan|||0000-0002-7793-4165
Pons, Manel
Gingrich, Simone|||0000-0001-7891-8688
Krausmann, Fridolin
Galán, Elena|||0000-0001-6809-737X
Marco, Inés
Padro i Caminal, Roc|||0000-0001-7880-5026
Guzmán, Gloria I.
González de Molina, Manuel|||0000-0002-0253-6971
Cunfer, Geoff
MacFadyen, Joshua
Fraňková, Eva
Aguilera, Eduardo
Infante-Amate, Juan
Urrego-Mesa, Alexander
Soto, David
Parcerisas, Lluis
Dupras, Jérôme|||0000-0001-5422-6345
Díez-Sanjuán, Lucía
Caravaca, Jonathan
Gómez, Laura
Fullana, Onofre
Murray, Ivan
Jover, Gabriel
Cussó i Segura, Xavier|||0000-0001-9274-5031
Garrabou, Ramon
author_role author
author2 Sacristán, Vera|||0000-0003-0203-256X
Olarieta, José R.
Cattaneo, Claudio|||0000-0001-7049-9298
Marull, Joan|||0000-0002-7793-4165
Pons, Manel
Gingrich, Simone|||0000-0001-7891-8688
Krausmann, Fridolin
Galán, Elena|||0000-0001-6809-737X
Marco, Inés
Padro i Caminal, Roc|||0000-0001-7880-5026
Guzmán, Gloria I.
González de Molina, Manuel|||0000-0002-0253-6971
Cunfer, Geoff
MacFadyen, Joshua
Fraňková, Eva
Aguilera, Eduardo
Infante-Amate, Juan
Urrego-Mesa, Alexander
Soto, David
Parcerisas, Lluis
Dupras, Jérôme|||0000-0001-5422-6345
Díez-Sanjuán, Lucía
Caravaca, Jonathan
Gómez, Laura
Fullana, Onofre
Murray, Ivan
Jover, Gabriel
Cussó i Segura, Xavier|||0000-0001-9274-5031
Garrabou, Ramon
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Agricultural systems
EROI (energy return on energy investment)
Agroecosystem
Circularity
Socioecological transition
Dietary transition
Forest transition
topic Agricultural systems
EROI (energy return on energy investment)
Agroecosystem
Circularity
Socioecological transition
Dietary transition
Forest transition
description Early energy analyses of agriculture revealed that behind higher labor and land productivity of industrial farming, there was a decrease in energy returns on the energy invested (EROI), in comparison to more traditional organic agricultural systems. Studies on recent trends show that efficiency gains in production and use of inputs have again somewhat improved energy returns. However, most of these agricultural energy studies have focused only on external inputs at the crop level, concealing the important role of internal biomass flows that livestock and forestry recirculate within agroecosystems. Here, we synthesize the results of 82 farm systems in North America and Europe from 1830 to 2012 that for the first time show the changing energy profiles of agroecosystems, including livestock and forestry, with a multi-EROI approach that accounts for the energy returns on external inputs, on internal biomass reuses, and on all inputs invested. With this historical circular bioeconomic approach, we found a general trend towards much lower external returns, little or no increases in internal returns, and almost no improvement in total returns. This "energy trap" was driven by shifts towards a growing dependence of crop production on fossil-fueled external inputs, much more intensive livestock production based on feed grains, less forestry, and a structural disintegration of agroecosystem components by increasingly linear industrial farm managements. We conclude that overcoming the energy trap requires nature-based solutions to reduce current dependence on fossil-fueled external industrial inputs and increase the circularity and complexity of agroecosystems to provide healthier diets with less animal products.
publishDate 2023
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2
2023-01-01
2023
2023-01-01
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
VoR
http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://ddd.uab.cat/record/310556
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1007/s13593-023-00925-5
url https://ddd.uab.cat/record/310556
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1007/s13593-023-00925-5
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
eng
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv European Commission https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000780 ERC-2017-StG 757995 HEFT
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación https://doi.org/10.13039/501100004837 PID2021-123129NB-C4
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
instname:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
instname_str Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
reponame_str Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
collection Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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score 15.198674

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