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The impact of the biogas industry on agricultural sector in Germany

Author

Listed:
  • Zuzana LAJDOVA

    (Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Nitra, Slovakia)

  • Jan LAJDA

    (Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Nitra, Slovakia)

  • Peter BIELIK

    (Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Nitra, Slovakia)

Abstract

The whole concept of the biogas industry is an ongoing issue particularly because of its differences from the original purpose and the criticism about causing too many externalities. Its high costs and low efficiency compared to the traditional cheaper sources belong to the main problems. This issue is serious especially currently - at the times of a slow economic growth when a switch to renewable energy sources means yet another harm to the competitiveness of the EU producers as it increases their production costs. Another weak point is that the silage maize as the most common input material for the anaerobic digestion leads to the displacement of the food crops production and it is considered to be also a contributor to the food price increase. Biogas plants also compete for input with the livestock production that ends up in the biogas plants instead of e.g. feeding cows. The aim of the paper is to investigate the long-run relationship between the biogas industry and the agricultural sector in Germany - a leader in the technology with the most developed biogas sector among the European Union member states. The econometric analysis based on the Vector Correction Model confirms the stated assumptions and concludes that the production of biogas via the anaerobic digestion has a significant impact on agriculture in Germany.

Suggested Citation

  • Zuzana LAJDOVA & Jan LAJDA & Peter BIELIK, 2016. "The impact of the biogas industry on agricultural sector in Germany," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 62(1), pages 1-8.
    • Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlage:v:62:y:2016:i:1:id:292-2015-agricecon
    DOI: 10.17221/292/2015-AGRICECON
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Emmann, Carsten H. & Guenther-Lübbers, Welf & Theuvsen, Ludwig, 2013. "Impacts of Biogas Production on the Production Factors Land and Labour – Current Effects, Possible Consequences and Further Research Needs," 2013 International European Forum, February 18-22, 2013, Innsbruck-Igls, Austria 164768, International European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks.
    2. Searchinger, Timothy & Heimlich, Ralph & Houghton, R. A. & Dong, Fengxia & Elobeid, Amani & Fabiosa, Jacinto F. & Tokgoz, Simla & Hayes, Dermot J. & Yu, Hun-Hsiang, 2008. "Use of U.S. Croplands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions from Land-Use Change," Staff General Research Papers Archive 12881, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    3. Britz, Wolfgang & Delzeit, Ruth, 2013. "The impact of German biogas production on European and global agricultural markets, land use and the environment," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 1268-1275.
    4. Emmann, Carsten H. & Guenther-Lübbers, Welf & Theuvsen, Ludwig, 2013. "Impacts of Biogas Production on the Production Factors Land and Labour – Current Effects, Possible Consequences and Further Research Needs," International Journal on Food System Dynamics, International Center for Management, Communication, and Research, vol. 4(1), pages 1-13, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Nadezda JANKELOVA & Marian DED & Branislav KOVACIK, 2018. "Management of the bio-waste processing in crisis conditions in the municipal sector," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 64(1), pages 9-22.

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