Key Takeaways
- Agroicone partnered with researchers from Iowa State University, Universidad de la Republica, and Indiana University Indianapolis to analyze corn ethanol expansion in Brazil.
- The study found that Brazil’s double-cropping system can reduce land-use change from 40,000 hectares to 7,000 hectares per billion liters of ethanol produced.
- Second-crop corn ethanol can achieve very low or negative lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions under certain market conditions through agricultural intensification.
- Brazil has nearly 17 million hectares of consolidated soybean area available and suitable for expanding second-crop corn production.
- The research was published in Agricultural Economics and used global agricultural trade modeling combined with land-use greenhouse gas accounting frameworks.
Agroicone Research Reveals Land-Use Efficiency Potential
New research conducted by Agroicone in partnership with international universities demonstrates that expanding ethanol production from Brazil’s second-crop corn can support sustainable aviation fuel development while significantly limiting land-use change and greenhouse gas emissions. The study, published in Agricultural Economics, analyzed how rising demand for corn ethanol in Brazil could affect global agricultural markets, land use, and carbon emissions.
Using a global agricultural trade model combined with a land-use greenhouse gas accounting framework, the research evaluated multiple scenarios of ethanol expansion and supply responses in Brazil. The findings show that when corn production expands through Brazil’s double-cropping system, additional ethanol supply can be achieved primarily through agricultural intensification rather than cropland expansion.
Double-Cropping System Reduces Environmental Impact
Brazil’s second-crop corn system, where corn is planted after soybeans on the same land within the same year, already accounts for most of the country’s corn production. When this production system was incorporated into the economic modeling, land-use change associated with ethanol production dropped substantially in Brazil from roughly 40,000 hectares per billion liters of ethanol to about 7,000 hectares.
“Brazil’s double-cropping system allows farmers to increase corn production without expanding cropland. When this agricultural reality is properly incorporated into economic models, the land-use impacts of biofuel expansion can be substantially lower than previously estimated,” said Luciane Chiodi Bachion, co-author of the study and researcher at Agroicone.
Agroicone’s Study Strategic Implications for Sustainable Aviation Fuel
The analysis shows that ethanol produced from second-crop corn can achieve very low or even negative lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, depending on supply responses and land-use dynamics. These results are driven by four main factors: the supply elasticity of corn, the use of cropland already cultivated within the same year, the use of renewable energy sources in ethanol processing, and the production of corn co-products that substitute for soybean meal in animal feed markets.
