Abstract
Large-scale production of biofuels is increasingly touted in national policies and international trade agreements. This global trend is particularly clear in Brazil. However, the sugarcane monocultures promoted in the country depend on a range of fossil fuel derivates, industrial inputs, chemical fertilizers, agrochemicals, machinery, labor exploitation and various other non-renewable resources, making it a questionable alternative to substitute fossil energy sources. In parallel, an alternative approach has recently emerged in southern Brazil, which promotes integrated food and energy production in small-scale, family managed production units, based on agro-ecological principles and local market orientation. This paper explores the potential of this alternative for more environmentally sustainable and socially fair production of food and biofuels. The scope of the paper is interdisciplinary, in combining environmental and social information from participatory fieldwork and interviews with farmers. Resource flows at farm level are identified and illustrated in diagrams, and interactions between farmers and institutions at local and global levels. The paper also explores opportunities for cross-fertilization between the two approaches applied: emergy synthesis (ES) and participatory learning and action (PLA). Integration was operationalized by drawing emergy diagrams together with local farmers, supported by PLA tools. The result is a systems description that adds information provided by farmers to an understanding based on general systems principles. Apart from accounting for the empirical results from this approach, lessons learned are used for proposing a new framework for participatory emergy synthesis (P-ES), which would facilitate more interdisciplinary and participatory evaluation of agricultural systems.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abel, T. (2011). Culture in information cycles: Energy, information, and system self-organization of H.T. Odum revisited. In Proceedings of the 6th emergy conference. Gainesville, Florida: Center for Environmental Policy, University of Florida.
Altieri, M. (1999). Applying agroecology to enhance the productivity of peasant farming systems in Latin America. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 1, 197–217.
Assis, W. F. T., & Zucarelli, M. C. (2007). Despoluindo Incertezas: impactos territoriais da expansão de agrocombustíveis e perspectivas para uma produção sustentável. Belo Horizonte, MG: Editora e Gráfica O Lutador.
Beeharry, R. P. (2001). Carbon balance of sugarcane bioenergy systems. Biomass and Bioenergy, 20, 361–370.
Bergquist, D. A. (2008). Colonised coasts. Aquaculture and emergy flows in the world system: Cases from Sri Lanka and the Philippines. Doctoral thesis, Geografiska Regionstudier, 77. Uppsala, Sweden: Department of Social and Economic Geography, Uppsala University.
Brown, M. (2003). Resource imperialism: Emergy perspectives on sustainability, international trade, and balancing the welfare of nations. In S. Ulgiati, M. Brown, M. Giampietro, R. Herendeen, & K. Mayumi (Eds.), 3rd biennial international workshop. Advances in energy studies.
Brown, M. (2004). A picture is worth a thousand words: Energy systems language and simulation. Ecological Modelling, 178, 83–100.
Brown, M., & Ulgiati, S. (2004). Emergy analysis and environmental accounting. In C. Cleveland (Ed.), Encyclopedia of energy (pp. 329–354). Oxford, UK: Academic Press, Elsevier.
Cavalett, O., Leal, M., & Rydberg, T. (2010). Avaliação Emergética de Sistema Camponês de Produção de Álcool, Alimentos e Serviços Ambientais. In M. Leal (Ed.), Agricultura e Mudanças Climáticas -Contribuição dos sistemas camponeses de produção para agricultura ecológica. Brazil: Cooperbio.
Cavalett, O., & Rydberg, T. (2011). Critical analysis of the Swedish biofuels policy using emergy synthesis. In Proceedings of the 6th emergy conference. Gainesville, Florida: Center for Environmental Policy, University of Florida.
Chambers, R. (1997). Whose reality counts? Putting the first last. London, UK: ITDG Publishing.
Checkland, P., & Holwell, S. (1998). Action research: Its nature and validity. Systemic Practice and Action Research, 11, 9–17.
Dias de Oliveira, M., Vaughan, B., & Rykiel, E., Jr. (2005). Ethanol as fuel: Energy, carbon dioxide balances, and ecological footprint. BioScience, 55(7), 593–602.
Eksvärd, K., & Rydberg, T. (2010). Integrating participatory learning and action research and systems ecology: A potential for sustainable agriculture transitions. Systemic Practice and Action Research, Online First, 19.
Federici, M., Ulgiati, S., Verdesca, D., & Basosi, R. (2003). Efficiency and sustainability indicators for passenger and commodities transportation systems. The case of Siena, Italy. Ecological Indicators, 3, 155–169.
Gomes, M., Biondi, A., Brianezi, T., & Glass, V. (2008). O Brasil dos Agrocombustíveis: Impactos das Lavouras sobre a Terra, o Meio e a Sociedade—Volume 3—Cana-de-açúcar 2008. Repórter Brasil, http://www.reporterbrasil.com.br/agrocombustiveis/relatorio.php. Accessed 4 June 2010.
Government Offices of Sweden. (2008). Bioenergy from agriculture and forestry. Fact Sheet, article no. Jo 08.002. Sweden: Ministry of Agriculture.
Greenpeace. (2006). Eating up the Amazon. Greenpeace International, http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/reports/eating-up-the-amazon. Accessed 4 June 2010.
Gröna Bilister. (2006). Ethanol production from Sugarcane in Brazil. Review of potential for social- and environmental labelling of ethanol production from sugarcane. Report, 1(06), Sweden: Gröna Bilister.
Herendeen, R. (2004). Energy analysis and EMERGY analysis—A comparison. Ecological Modelling, 178, 227–237.
Lagerberg Fogelberg, C., & Bergquist, D. A. (2011). Small scale community based management of marine resources vs. large scale industrial aquaculture in Chile—Consequences and methodological implications.In Proceedings of the 6th emergy conference. Gainesville, Florida: Center for Environmental Policy, University of Florida.
Leal, M. (2007). Agricultura Camponesa e Biomassa: Um Outro Projeto é Possível. Cooperbio, http://www.cooperbio.com.br/artigos/ML1.pdf. Accessed 4 June 2010.
Leite, R. C. C., Leal, M. R. L. V., Cortez, L. A. B., Griffin, W. M., & Scandiffio, M. I. G. (2009). Can Brazil replace 5% of the 2025 gasoline world demand with ethanol? Energy, 34(5), 655–661.
Macedo, I. C., Seabra, J. E. A., & Silva, J. E. A. R. (2008). Green house gases emissions in the production and use of ethanol from sugarcane in Brazil: The 2005/2006 averages and a prediction for 2020. Biomass and Bioenergy, 32(7), 582–595.
Muñoz, E. F. P. (2007). Utilização da biomassa pela agricultura camponesa na perspectiva da produção consorciada de alimento e energia: o caso da Cooperbio, RS. Dissertação de mestrado do programa de pós-graduação em agroecossistemas. Florianópolis, Brasil: Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina.
Noronha, S., Ortiz, L., & Schlesinger, S. (2006). Agribusiness and biofuels: an explosive mixture–Impacts of monoculture expansion on the production of bioenergy. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Núcleo Amigos da Terra.
Odum, H. (1996). Environmental accounting: EMERGY and environmental decision making. New York: Wiley.
Odum, H. (2007). Environment, power, and society for the twenty-first century. The hierarchy of energy. New York: Columbia University Press.
Patzek, T., Anti, S., Campos, R., Ha, K., Lee, J., Li, B., et al. (2005). Ethanol from corn: Clean renewable fuel for the future, or drain on our resources and pockets? Environment, Development and Sustainability, 7, 319–336.
Pereira, C., & Ortega, E. (2009). Emergy assessment of ethanol production from sugarcane in Brazil. Emergy synthesis 5, theory and applications of the emergy methodology. In Proceedings of the 5th biennial emergy research conference (pp. 273–280). Gainesville, USA: University of Florida.
Pretty, J., Guijt, I., Thompson, J., & Scoones, I. (1995). Participatory learning & action—A trainer’s guide. UK: Sustainable Agriculture Programme, International Institute for Environment and Development.
Ryan, L., Convery, F., & Ferreira, S. (2005). Stimulating the use of biofuels in the European Union: Implications for climate change policy. Energy Policy, 34, 3184–3194.
Rydberg, T., Cavalett, O., Friman, E., & Gallardo, G. (2011). Energy systems diagramming as the link to merge systems theory with discourse analysis—The case of large scale biofuel production. In Proceedings of the 6th emergy conference. Gainesville, Florida: Center for Environmental Policy, University of Florida.
Schlesinger, S., Laschefski, K., Assis, W. F. T., Rodrigues, D., & Ortiz, L. (2006). Agronegócio e biocombustíveis: uma mistura explosiva—Impactos da expansão das monoculturas para a produção de bioenergia. http://www.boell-latinoamerica.org/download_pt/biocomb_port_gtenergia.pdf. Accessed 4 June 2010.
Siracusa, G., La Rosa, A., Palma, P., & La Mola, E. (2008). New frontiers for sustainability: Emergy evaluation of an eco-village. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 10, 845–855.
Smeets, E., Junginger, M., Faaij, A., Walter, A., & Dolzan, P. (2006). Sustainability of Brazilian bio-ethanol. The Netherlands and Brazil: SenterNovem, The Netherlands Agency for Sustainable Development and Innovation, Utrecht University, and State University of Campinas.
Souza, A., & Ortega, E. (2009). Emergy analysis for small farmers. Emergy Synthesis 5, Theory and applications of the emergy methodology. In: Proceedings of the 5th biennial emergy research conference (pp. 325–332). Gainesville, USA: University of Florida.
Steward, C. (2007). Fueling disaster: A community food security perspective on agrofuels. A report by the community food security coalition international links committee. Grassroots International.
Acknowledgments
This study is part of a larger research project funded by the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet). Invaluable assistance in the field was provided by Cooperativa Mista de Produção, Industrialização e Comercialização de Biocombustíveis do Brasil Ltda (Cooperbio). We are deeply grateful to Cooperbio and all the farmer families in Rio Grande do Sul who received us in their homes. Thank you for sharing your perspectives and making this study possible.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Readers should send their comments on this paper to BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bergquist, D.A., Cavalett, O. & Rydberg, T. Participatory emergy synthesis of integrated food and biofuel production: a case study from Brazil. Environ Dev Sustain 14, 167–182 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-011-9314-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-011-9314-8