Dr Jeremy Woods gives his view on the role of AD in sustainable agriculture

Dr Jeremy Woods, Lecturer in Bioenergy at Imperial College London will be speaking about ‘The role of AD in sustainable farming’ at UK AD & Biogas 2013‘s free to attend conference. Here, he gives a preview on what he will be talking about and the message he wants to get across.

Discussing ‘The role of AD in sustainable farming’ is vitally important because our agricultural system is not currently sustainable either for the environment or for the economic model for farm businesses. Major problems in agriculture include stagnating yields, decreasing biodiversity, a reduction in carbon stocks and nutrient losses causing subsequent soil erosion.

 

We have an opportunity to integrate biomass supply chains which add flexibility, resilience and reduce waste. Whilst bioenergy is currently mostly seen as competitive to food, in the long run bioenergy with AD as a central technology is part of the solution by providing options for nutrient recycling, soil management and renewable energy provision.