Evaluation of JTI's R&D Activities 2005–2008 - Formas

• In waste management and sewerage, there is a potential
for development of technology and systems, inter alia
within quality assurance, biogas, closing down of landfill
sites and small scale sewerage technology.
Future scenarios – agricultural engineering
In view of the trends described above, three future scenarios
for agricultural engineering have been identified for the work
of JTI. These scenarios are based on the following reason ing:
the size of farms is growing at an increasing pace in response
to strong international price competition. On these farms
there is high competence and they concentrate on food production.
At the same time there is a political intention to
retain a flourishing countryside and a cultural landscape in
large parts of the country. This can, for example, be accomplished
through various forms of support, sources of additional
income outside food production or by developments on the
farm – in other words a multifunctional agriculture. Rational
units that are run profitably are common to both these future
scenarios.
Another category comprises the countries in a phase of development
into industrialised countries which mainly produce for
their own needs or for a local market. Here, there is great need
for knowledge and technology suitable for smaller units. The
focus is on food production.
Future scenarios relating to environmental technologies are in
some agreement with those relating to agricultural engineering,
but in the case of environmental technologies political de ­
cisions are the critical driving force. A higher proportion of renewable
energy and bioenergy in the future, as well as the prohibition
of landfilling organic waste, are the strongest driving
forces. The capability of agriculture to produce bioenergy to
a greater extent than today, and to recirculate plant nutrients
from society, are niches for multifunctional agriculture.
I) Large scale production agriculture which
produces at world market prices
Large scale production agriculture units are located in geographical
areas that are favourable for what they focus on.
They work in an international market which is fully controlled
by the requirements of customers, and are subject to international
price competition. Full price competition will prevail
when protective tariffs and subsidies are abolished.
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Evaluation of JTI’s R&D Activities 2005–2008