Journal of Energy Bioscience 2024, Vol.15, No.6, 358-367 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/jeb 363 6.3 Environmental concerns, including land use and biodiversity impacts Although growing sorghum has many benefits for the environment, there are also some problems. It may compete with food crops for land. This “food and fuel battle” could affect the food supply and increase the cost of living (Calvino and Messing, 2012). If a large amount of natural areas are reclaimed for growing sorghum, it may damage biodiversity. Especially when the original natural habitats are turned into farmland, this problem will be more obvious. However, growing sorghum in some marginal areas, such as newly reclaimed tidal flats, can reduce these conflicts. This approach can provide more sustainable planting options for bioenergy (Zuo et al., 2019). These practices need to be carefully managed and continuously monitored in order to avoid causing new harm to the local ecology and species diversity. 7 Socioeconomic Impacts of Sorghum Bioenergy 7.1 Contribution to rural development and farmer incomes Sorghum, as a bioenergy crop, has great potential to help rural development and increase farmers' income. In some areas where the profits of traditional crops are not high, growing sorghum can bring additional income to farmers. Because sorghum is suitable for cultivation on marginal land and has low requirements for the input of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, it is particularly suitable for areas with poor soil. This is not only conducive to the sustainable development of agriculture, but also can enhance the economic resilience of rural communities (Appiah-Nkansah et al., 2019; Batog et al., 2020; Lamb et al., 2021). Moreover, after sorghum is made into biofuel, during the process from planting, processing to transportation and sales, it can also drive employment in rural areas and further promote local economic development (Stamenković et al., 2020; Thomas et al., 2021). 7.2 Economic feasibility and market potential Sorghum, as a bioenergy crop, has economic advantages. This is mainly because it can produce a large amount of biomass, and this biomass can be used for various energy sources, such as bioethanol, biomethane and biochar (Appiah-Nkansah et al., 2019; Batog et al., 2020; Stamenković et al., 2020). Studies also point out that because sorghum has a high sugar content and a good conversion efficiency, it is a cost-effective biofuel raw material (Mathur et al., 2017; Appiah-Nkansah et al., 2019). Nowadays, the global demand for renewable energy is increasing, and people are increasingly eager to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels such as oil. This also makes biofuels made from sorghum more promising in the market (Mullet et al., 2014; Yang et al., 2023). If sorghum is used to build a biorefinery, not only can its biomass be utilized more fully, but also a variety of valuable products can be produced, which further enhances its economic feasibility (Stamenković et al., 2020). 7.3 Policy frameworks supporting sorghum as a bioenergy crop To enable sorghum to truly play a role in the field of bioenergy, there still need to be supporting policies to support its cultivation and utilization. Some policies that encourage the development of bioenergy crops, such as planting subsidies, tax cuts or subsidies, can effectively promote the use of sorghum as an energy crop (Jiang et al., 2019; Stamenković et al., 2020). Some regulations that encourage the use of renewable energy and set targets for biofuel production could also create a stable market environment for the promotion of sorghum biofuels (Calvino and Messing, 2012; Mathur et al., 2017). If the government can invest more funds to support the improvement of sorghum varieties and the research and development of fuel production technologies, it can further enhance the market competitiveness and sustainable development capacity of sorghum (Mullet et al., 2014; Yang et al., 2023). 8 Case Study: Successful Deployment of Sorghum in Bioenergy Production 8.1 Background and region-specific context Sorghum, as a bioenergy crop, has been promoted in many countries, such as the United States, Brazil and India. In the United States, especially in Iowa, people value the high yield and drought resistance of sorghum and study and cultivate it as a specialized bioenergy crop. In Queensland, Australia, sweet sorghum is used to fill the gap in sugarcane cultivation. The research found that it not only has a high biomass, but also has a good methanogenic effect (Mathias et al., 2023). In the North China Plain of China, sweet sorghum is planted after winter wheat, forming a double-cropping rotation. This not only utilizes cultivated land but also enables planting on saline-alkali land, effectively increasing the output of biomass and energy (Tang et al., 2018b).
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