2024/09/20 by Olivier Godinot, Julia Jouan, Thomas Nesme +1
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Energy · Environmental Science · #Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact #Climate Change Policy and Economics #Energy, Environment, and Transportation Policies
paper · doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104137
openalex publication_date 2024/09/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Reconnecting crop and livestock production beyond the farm gate by exchanging raw materials (e.g., feed, manure) between farms is seen as a promising solution for improving the environmental performance of farms, since it should reduce the use of imported nitrogen (N) inputs. However, such a circular economy does not necessarily lead to a positive outcome, since cooperating farms might simultaneously intensify their production, which could cancel out the benefits of reconnecting crops and livestock: this is known as a rebound effect. The aim of our study was to identify and analyze a potential rebound effect due to reconnection of crop and livestock farms. We collected data on 18 case-study farms in a small territory in Spain. We then calculated two indicators of the N rebound effect: one based on potential savings of inorganic N fertilizer for cooperating crop farms and another based on potential savings of N losses to the environment for cooperating livestock farms. On cooperating crop farms, importing manure did not lead to replacement of inorganic N fertilizer and could lead more inorganic N fertilizer being used. Thus, their mean N rebound effect was 520 %, which constituted a backfire effect. This mean, however, covered large differences among farms. On cooperating dairy farms, exporting manure resulted in a mean negative rebound effect of −17 %, meaning that they achieved higher savings in the N balance than expected compared to non-cooperating dairy farms. Our main contribution is to show that there may be a rebound effect when reconnecting crop and livestock production beyond the farm gate due to the intensification of farms. The indicators of the N rebound effect developed can thus help identify situations that improve or degrade environmental performance. They should be used to complement existing indicators, such as N-use efficiency and the N balance, to design efficient farming systems while avoiding a rebound effect. • Reconnecting crops and livestock between farms is promising, but a rebound effect may offset the environmental gains. • The study aimed to quantify a potential nitrogen (N) rebound effect due to reconnection between crop and livestock farms. • A rebound effect appeared for three cooperating crop farms receiving manure without reducing use of inorganic fertilizers. • A rebound effect was also observed for three cooperating dairy farms that intensified their milk production. • The rebound effect indicator complements N-use efficiency and N balance for farm N performance evaluation.