The role of sustainable biomass, including wood biomass, is becoming increasingly important due to the European Green Deal. In the context of developing a sustainable bioeconomy, the use of wood depends on many physical, biological, technological, environmental, economic, social and political constraints. This study presents a systematic literature review by types of wood biomass potential. The literature review has shown that there is a lack of a comprehensive framework for wood biomass potential (for all needs, not only for energy production) in terms of sustainable development and that there is no general agreement on how to describe the sustainable potential of wood biomass nor how to measure it. Furthermore, the analysis has revealed certain uncertainties in describing the constraints of the potential of wood biomass. These uncertainties highlight the complexity of understanding the concept of sustainable wood biomass potential. The study addressed a definition potential of forest wood biomass for the needs of energy and industry in terms of sustainable development. The theoretical, technical and sustainable potentials of wood biomass were defined and their constraints were detailed. This study’s contributions to the conceptual clarity of the definition of the sustainable potential of wood biomass are (1) the definition of forest sustainable development, (2) the definition and classification of the potential of wood biomass, and (3) the synthesis of conceptual frameworks for the sustainable potential of wood biomass from forests.

Growing concerns over ecosystem degradation, climate change, loss in biodiversity, and rapid depletion of natural resources have urged societies of the developed countries all over the world to encounter the challenge of shifting from fossil-based to bio-based economies. With European Green Deal priorities on a transition to a climate-neutral economy with net-zero GHGs emissions by 2050, projected demand for biomass is 40–100% higher, relative to its supply. To provide an overview on the capacity of the European Union countries to satisfy its demand for biomass through the organic materials extracted directly from the domestic natural environment, the study aimed to assess the biomass self-sufficiency based on its domestic extraction-domestic consumption balance. Both the spatial and temporal variability of the self-sufficiency ratio are used to characterise the stability of capacity to satisfy our own needs for biomass in the EU economy as a whole, and at the level of individual member states. The findings indicate that the differences in biomass self-sufficiency ratios are quite high among the European Union member countries (i.e., in the range of 15% in Malta and 33% in Cyprus; up to 184% in Estonia and 224% in Latvia (on average in 2016–2018)). GMM analysis (EU-28, 2000–2018 period) is provided in this study to define the main statistically significant factors that have an impact on the biomass self-sufficiency ratio. This study contributes to the debate on the issues of biomass self-sufficiency in the context of ecological constraint and the EU’s Green Deal.

Cooperatives cover a large part of the agricultural sectors and have substantial market shares in agri-food supply chains in the EU Western countries. They account for approximately half of agricultural trade in the EU. By contrast, in the EU Western countries, where farmer cooperatives are widespread and successful, agricultural cooperation in Lithuania has developed intermittently in the last century. We still have very limited knowledge of why the country’s agricultural producers (especially smallholder farmers) are reluctant to cooperate in Lithuania. The aim of this study is to assess the level of the willingness to cooperate among smallholder farmers in Lithuania and to draw up the profiles of small-scale farms that participate in and intend to join cooperatives and, conversely, that do not participate in cooperatives and do not intend to do so. To achieve this goal, a representative survey of small-scale farms was conducted. Results of surveys carried out in 2019 in Lithuania on a group of 1002 small-scale farms showed that only 8% of the surveyed farms participate in producer groups or cooperatives, while another 8% intend to participate. Small-scale farms in Lithuania have weak market integration, with no bargaining power on input and output markets. The vast majority of small-scale farms are reluctant to participate in cooperative activities in Lithuania. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the profile of a small farm that tends to cooperate. The main social characteristics of farm managers and economic factors of farms willing to cooperate have been identified.

In agriculture, the relationship between economic growth and environmental pressures is complex and difficult to measure and compare between countries. This study had two objectives; the first was to build a new green growth accounting framework for agriculture in relation to natural capital and air pollution, and the second was to assess the long-term green growth of agriculture in EU countries. The data for EU27 from 2005 to 2021 were collected and used in the empirical analysis of green growth in agriculture. The findings showed positive real growth in agriculture from both the economic growth and green growth perspectives in most EU countries in the long term. Slow changes in air pollution (expressed in net GHG emissions from agriculture) and in natural capital (expressed in quality-adjusted agricultural land) did not have a significant impact on green growth in agriculture. The empirical analysis also revealed that most EU countries increasingly rely on technological progress to promote agricultural growth, and half of them rely on investments in produced capital. Labour input only made a positive contribution to agricultural growth in Ireland and Malta. This study will significantly contribute to improving the measure of green growth in agriculture, and the results of the empirical analysis will be used by policymakers and economists.

Scientific publications on environmentally sustainable or green growth in agriculture are increasingly becoming more important but empirical research is scarce. In empirical studies, the most commonly accepted way to assess environmentally sustainable or green growth in agriculture is based on measures of total factor productivity (TFP) or multifactor productivity (MFP) growth. Both measures are important for analytical and monitoring tools that can help to better understand the factors affecting output growth as well as the determinants of changes in production factors (labour and produced capital) in agriculture. Growth of TFP or MFP is achieved through the application of technologies and advanced production practices that result in higher output from the same amount, or lower inputs (labour and produced capital).Conventional TFP and MFP are not suitable for the assessment of environmentally sustainable growth in agriculture because both indicators do not include environmental variables such as environmental pollution and natural capital. There is a lack of comparative empirical studies between EU countries. This study focuses on the problem of measuring environmentally sustainable growth in agriculture. The aim of this study is twofold: firstly, to develop a framework for the assessment of environmentally sustainable growth in agriculture, based on information collected in public databases; and secondly, to empirically analyse environmentally sustainable growth in agriculture in EU countries over the long period. The environmentally adjusted multifactor productivity (EAMFP) growth measure was applied to assess environmentally sustainable growth in agriculture of the EU’s countries. For analysis, the environmental pollution of agricultural production was expressed as net GHG emissions, and natural capital was expressed as the quality-adjusted agricultural land area.The research was conducted using literature overview, decomposition technique and cluster analysis method. The 28 EU countries (including the United Kingdom, which was a member of the EU until January 1, 2020) were included in the empirical analysis. The analysis covered the period between 2005 and 2019 and a five-year average annual change rates (2005-2009 and 2015-2019 respectively) were used to compare the environmentally sustainable growth in agriculture between the beginning and the end of the considered period, as is common in most agricultural growth studies.The findings show that pollution-adjusted GDP growth in agriculture was achieved in less than a five of the EU countries at the beginning of the considered period, and in most of the EU countries at the end of the considered period. In most of the EU countries, the environmentally sustainable growth in agriculture was mainly determined by technological progress, while the slow change in environmental pollution (net GHG emissions) did not have a significant contribution to agricultural growth in all EU countries. Following the hierarchical clustering method, three significantly different clusters of the EU countries were identified in terms of gross added value growth and technological progress in agriculture of EU countries in the context of environmentally sustainable growth.

This article describes a strategic concept for the Lithuanian bioeconomy that was developed as a deliverable of the Task 1.5 in the BIOEAST’sUP H2020 project. We aimed to create a conceptual basis for the preparation of a national bioeconomy strategy and/or action plan in order to initiate a deeper discussion about the strategically oriented development of a knowledge-based circular bioeconomy in Lithuania. Our strategic insights are focused on two niche energy sectors like biofuels and biogas. The results of the SWOT analysis reveal that, in Lithuania, a synthesis of the biofuels and biogas sectors' strategic directions is necessary to develop over-arching national bioeconomy-appropriate strategic actions, such as market intervention actions, research, innovation and education actions, as well as governance and policy actions.