A study commissioned by the non-profit Memphis Bioworks Foundation argues that converting the 36 million acres in the Mississippi Delta, which is now used to produce cotton, soybeans, rice, and trees, to plants used for biofuel and plastic production could create tens of thousands of jobs and create a “bioeconomy” worth $8 billion.Steve Bares, executive director for the Bioworks Foundation pointed out that the proposed changes would not reduce the amount of food crops currently in production. Such a reduction is one of the detractions cited by advocates critical of corn-based ethanol production. According to the study, which was conducted by the consulting firm Battelle Technology Partnership Practice, plant-based products replacing petroleum-based products “could produce 50,000 jobs in the region in the next 20 years [.]”
Agencies from Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee gave funding for the study. The potential alternative plants could be used to produce biofuels, polymers for plastic, lubricants, “or briquettes that can be used with coal to produce electricity.” As the Associated Press reports, not only could the farmland in the Delta be used, but abandoned manufacturing sites in Memphis could be used for conversion and production as well.
The Associated Press story quotes as Bares as stating, ‘"For Memphis, this study makes it clear that we have a dual role . . . One is to take advantage of our own underutilized industrial capacity, our strong business infrastructure and our unique agricultural assets and to develop them. The second is to provide a regional approach that will build strong collaborations."’ Of course there must also be farmers willing to give the new crops a try. Currently Bioworks has established a “25Farmer Network” partnered with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture that matches farmers trying the alternative crops with buyers.
To read the Associated Press story in The Tennessean click here.
Posted: 08/31/09
