SWOT Analysis of Bioenergy Production on Marginal Land

An international team of scientists from Canada (the Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre and China (Renmin University of China, Ningxia Municipal Commission of Development and Reform Commission, and the Low Carbon Research Centerna) applied the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis to diagnose and identify the economic, environmental and social impacts from bioenergy production on marginal land.

Marginal lands are considered an attractive option for the cultivation of bioenergy crops. The main advantage is that these lands do not threaten food security since productive lands are used for food production. In their paper, the researchers defined marginal land on the basis of a set of physical criteria (including lands that are bare/herbaceous, with soil problems, and with moderate to steep slopes) plus other factors. With this definition, they identified the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of bioenergy production on marginal land. The strengths include large land supply potential and strong energy crops adaptability. The weaknesses include possibly low economic viability, uncertainty about environmental impacts, and equity/gender concerns. Security of food supply, and the acquisition of renewable energy supply are seen as opportunities. Among the identified threats are the rise in fuel price, higher labor cost, and natural hazards/crisis.

The full paper is published in the journal, Energy Procedia.