Wastelands

After years of debating food vs. fuel, researchers and policymakers now realize that the planet has around 3 billion hectares of surplus lands we can use for non-food purposes. This book provides a comprehensive discussion on how more resilient biomass systems can replace fossil energy and illuminates sustainable solutions for utilizing marginal lands where food and energy are both big barriers for human progress and socioeconomic development. In addition, the book discusses the benefits for biodiversity, erosion control, rural employment, wildfires, and even soil improvement in semiarid tropical and temperate areas with low profitability for traditional food alternatives.