The emerging cellulosic biofuel and bioproduct industry requires the development of biomass markets where economic and policy challenges need to be overcome for farmers to engage as viable suppliers. Researchers at Auburn University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign combined economic and ecological modeling to identify the economic barriers to biomass production, to evaluate the effectiveness of the Biomass Crop Assistance Program in stimulating the biomass market, and to explore the ecosystem service implications of biomass production. Early stage economic modeling shows that credit constraints and high interests can be major barriers to biomass production.
NIFA supports this research through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.
Read more about this bioeconomy project on NIFA’s Data Gateway.
Want to read about more impacts like this? Check out Fresh from the Field, a weekly bulletin showcasing transformative impacts made by grantees funded by NIFA.
