Expanding the Miscanthus market in the UK: Growers in profile and experience, benefits and drawbacks of the bioenergy crop

To achieve net zero greenhouse gas emission by 2050 as set out by the 2019 amendment to the 2008 UK Climate Change Act, a major shift towards renewable energy is needed. This includes the development of new methods along with improving and upscaling existing technologies. One example of new methods in bioenergy is developing new Miscanthus cultivars for electricity generation via thermal power station furnaces. Miscanthus is still relatively new compared to other agriculture practices, so market assessments and improvements are needed to reduce the barriers of entry for prospective growers. This publication provides a profile of UK Miscanthus growers and their businesses, their experiences of benefits and drawbacks of the crop, and what they see as potential barriers to entry for prospective farmers. A survey of current Miscanthus growers in England and Wales was conducted and indicated that most farmers were content with the crop and that its environmental and economic benefits were no..., The grower’s questionnaire was sent out to all Terravesta-contracted Miscanthus growers in England and Wales in 2021. The questionnaire contained 37 questions with initial questions about the farm, followed by questions about the grower’s demographic status and experience in the sector (age, education, involvement in green schemes, etc.), followed by questions on their experience of the benefits and drawbacks of growing Miscanthus. The survey included multiple choice and open-ended questions, with multiple choice responses based on the five-point Likers scale: ‘strongly disagree’ (score 1), ‘disagree’ (2), ‘neutral’ (3), ‘agree’ (4), and ‘strongly agree’ (5). The statements were based on the outcome of a previous grower’s survey by Shepherd et al., (2020) and discussion with stakeholders and other researchers associated with the UKRI-funded Supergen Bioenergy Hub.
The questionnaire was created in Snap 11 (Version 11, build 11.22) which is managed online by the Snap WebHost. The question...,