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Spatial optimization of Jatropha based electricity value chains including the effect of emissions from land use change KU Leuven
Jatropha was identified as a potential feedstock to satisfy off-grid and on-grid energy solutions. However, the potential has been questioned due to agronomic frustrations, the lack of an organized value chain and heavy criticism on biofuels due to emissions triggered by land use change (LUC). To contribute to the realistic integration of Jatropha in rural development, this article proposes a modeling approach to probe the feasibility of ...
Implementing Insect Production in Agricultural Value Chains - An ex-ante life cycle evaluation KU Leuven
An ever-growing demand for animal based food products is affecting the productivity of global food production systems, and urgently needed measures to curb further environmental degradation promise similar effects. Whether future demand scenarios can be met sustainably, depends not least on whether it is possible to significantly reduce the environmental impact of aquaculture and livestock production. Recent research suggests that the use of ...
Detection and analysis of forest cover dynamics with Landsat satellite imagery, application in the Romanian Carpathian Ecoregion KU Leuven
Forest cover changes have essential implications on a variety of landscape functions and their associated ecosystem services. Globally, contrasting forest trends are present: some countries are greening, while others are still in a deforestation phase. The detection and mapping of forest dynamics is rather challenging since landscapes in the transition phase typically consist of patchy structures and often occur in inaccessible areas such as ...
Valorization of landscape residues: The potential of heathland and forest management residues for the ornamental sector in Flanders, Belgium KU Leuven
CH 1 - Since the industrial revolution, artificial fertilizers were essential in our farming systems. However, paradoxically, different regions in Northwestern Europe cope with nutrient surpluses. Flanders, in Belgium, is one of these regions. Actual world challenges accelerate the need for a transition towards a more sustainable bioeconomy. One aspect is the valorization of waste streams. While amounts of biomass are produced by different ...
Improving smallholders' participation in tree product value chains: Experiences from the Congo Basin KU Leuven
In recent years, there has been increasing use of the value chain approach as a strategy to improve smallholder participation in markets. Despite the surge, not much is known about its effectiveness and specificity in the context of lesser known commodities such as non-timber forest products and agroforestry tree products. This paper documents the key lessons learned from the implementation of two major value chain projects related to lesser ...
A framework for profitability evaluation of agroforestry-based biofuel value chains: An application to pongamia in India KU Leuven
Biofuel production from oilseed trees in small-scale agroforestry systems is considered as a strategy for energy security, rural development and ecosystem services provision in low-income countries. However, the economic potential of these systems remains unclear, as profitability studies commonly ignore key methodological issues such as quantitative uncertainty analysis, full accounting for opportunity costs, and inclusion of all value chain ...
Using a choice experiment approach to assess production tradeoffs for developing the croton value chain in Kenya KU Leuven
Trees that produce oilseeds have the potential to improve rural livelihoods through the production of vegetable oil for energy and other purposes, as well as valuable co-products, such as animal feed and organic fertilizers. In Kenya, Croton megalocarpus (Croton) is a prolific and widely distributed tree with such potential being currently underutilized. In support of scaling up the promising Croton value chain in Kenya, a choice experiment was ...