ABSTRACT
The past decade has seen manifold increases in the rate of material resource extraction and consumption. Agriculture biomass – an essential material resource for the global food and energy system – was reported to have accounted for over one-third of global material consumption in 2010 (Krausmann et al. 2008; Nonhebel and Kastner 2011). The demand for biomass, which has currently outpaced production, is projected to further double – considering the dramatic changes that have occurred in global socio-economic structures, marked by rapid human population growth, thriving middle classes from emerging economies and the unabated consumerism lifestyle of a global minority (von Braun and MeinzenDick 2009; GRAIN et al. 2014). Under the current global food and energy scenario characterized by volatile food prices, diet ‘meatification’, and biofuel imperatives due to climate change, biomass material has come under pressure from intense competing end uses, hence putting commercial pressure on productive lands (Cotula, Dyer, and Vermeulen 2008; Anseeuw et al. 2012; GRAIN et al. 2014). According to Antonelli et al. (2015: 98) ‘By 2030, an additional 47 million ha of land will be needed for food and animal feed production, 42-48 million ha for large-scale afforestation and 18-44 million ha for producing biofuel feedstock’.
