This book addresses the underexposed political dimensions of bioeconomy promotion. Who wins and who loses? How are institutions being shaped, and by whom? Drawing from experiences since the earlier days of biofuels promotion, it explores in unprecedented detail the global drive away from fossil fuels and towards a biomass-based economy. Multipurpose agriculture gains ever more traction as countries create new bio-based value chains – or, rather, value webs. Governance, in this regard, proves to be key for steering developments towards inclusive agri-food-biomass systems instead of fueling just a handful of “flex crops” ridden with social equity and other environmental issues. Based on a rich global-level analysis of bioeconomy promotion and three in-depth case studies of key emerging economies (Brazil, India and Indonesia), the book also innovatively examines sustainability politics in Global South democracies. Ultimately, this book is about finding the politics for a fairer bioeconomy in the years and decades to come.

This book addresses the underexposed political dimensions of bioeconomy promotion. Who wins and who loses? How are institutions being shaped, and by whom? Drawing from experiences since the earlier days of biofuels promotion, it explores in unprecedented detail the global drive away from fossil fuels and towards a biomass-based economy. Multipurpose agriculture gains ever more traction as countries create new bio-based value chains – or, rather, value webs. Governance, in this regard, proves to be key for steering developments towards inclusive agri-food-biomass systems instead of fueling just a handful of “flex crops” ridden with social equity and other environmental issues. Based on a rich global-level analysis of bioeconomy promotion and three in-depth case studies of key emerging economies (Brazil, India and Indonesia), the book also innovatively examines sustainability politics in Global South democracies. Ultimately, this book is about finding the politics for a fairer bioeconomy in the years and decades to come.

An authoritative and comprehensive volume of knowledge and green technologies wholly focused on the future of the bioeconomy. The authors present data, show opportunities, discuss R&D findings, analyze strategies, assess the wider economic impact, showcase achievements, criticize policies and propose solutions for the green revolution in biofuels, biochemicals and biomaterials’ production and power generation. A fascinating range of case studies from the US, China and many European countries are used to inform readers about the impact of this field on society and how various technologies are currently being implemented. Additionally, the role of industry on this green industrial revolution is outlined with contributions from several major companies such as DuPont (US), UPM-Kymmene Oy (Finland), Anhui BBCA Biochemical Co (China).

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This book defines the new field of "Bioeconomy" as the sustainable and innovative use of biomass and biological knowledge to provide food, feed, industrial products, bioenergy and ecological services. The chapters highlight the importance of bioeconomy-related concepts in public, scientific, and political discourse. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the authors outline the dimensions of the bioeconomy as a means of achieving sustainability. The authors are ideally situated to elaborate on the diverse aspects of the bioeconomy. They have acquired in-depth experience of interdisciplinary research through the university’s focus on “Bioeconomy”, its contribution to the Bioeconomy Research Program of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, and its participation in the German Bioeconomy Council. With the number of bioeconomy-related projects at European universities rising, this book will provide graduate students and researchers with background information on the bioeconomy. It will familiarize scientific readers with bioeconomy-related terms and give scientific background for economists, agronomists and natural scientists alike.

Sustainable development is the most important challenge facing humanity in the 21st century. The global economic growth in the recent past has indeed exhibited marked progress in many countries. Nevertheless, the issues of income disparity, poverty, gender gaps, and malnutrition are not uncommon in the global landscape, in spite of the upward growth of the economy and technological advances. This grim picture is further exacerbated by our growing human population, unmindful resource use, ever-increasing consumption trends, and changing climate. In order to protect humanity and preserve the planet, the United Nations issued the “2030 agenda for sustainable development,” which includes but is not limited to sustainable production and consumption practices, e.g. in a sustainable bioeconomy. The hallmark of the sustainable bioeconomy is a paradigm shift from a fossil-fuel-based economy to a biological-based one, which is driven by the virtues of sustainability, efficient utilization of resources, and “circular economy.” As the sustainable bioeconomy is based on the efficient utilization of biological resources and societal transformations, it holds the immense potential to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. This book shares valuable insights into the linkages between the sustainable bioeconomy and Sustainable Development Goals, making it an essential read for policymakers, researchers and students of environmental studies.

The 'bioeconomy' is the idea of an economy based on the sustainable exploitation of biological resources. Within this concept, there is increasing emphasis on issues such as climate change, depletion of natural resources and growing world food needs. The bioeconomy builds on the recognition of advances in technology, particularly in the life sciences, but at the same time covers issues such as innovation management, ecosystem services, development and governance. This book explores the development of the bioeconomy across the world from an economic and policy perspective, as well as identifying potential future pathways and issues. It uses a broad definition, covering all sectors using biological resources except health, and rather than focusing on individual sectors, it explores the breadth of interconnections that make the bioeconomy a new and challenging subject. Divided into two parts, the book initially outlines the current definitions, strategies, policy and economic information related to the world's bioeconomy. The second part describes current economic analysis and research efforts in qualifying and understanding the economics of the bioeconomy. This includes the contributions of technology, research and innovation; driving forces and demand-side economics; supply-side economics, and the role of markets and public policy in matching demand and supply. The political economy, regulation and transitions are considered, as well as the contribution of the bioeconomy to society, including growth, development and sustainability. Key features include: - An analysis of varied international approaches to the bioeconomy. - A joint consideration of biotechnology, agriculture, food energy and bio-materials. - An assessment of sustainability in the bioeconomy. - A comprehensive view of the issues from an economic and policy perspective. This book will be of interest to students and researchers in agricultural and natural resource economics, agricultural and environmental policy, as well as policy-makers, practitioners and economists.