Fields of Fuel

The study finds that scaling up switchgrass production in the U.S. would likely displace existing crops and conservation land, potentially increasing commodity prices and reducing exports. While it may reduce erosion and nutrient pollution, increased nitrogen application could lead to higher nitrous oxide emissions, potentially offsetting soil carbon sequestration benefits and increasing overall greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector.

• Commercial-scale switchgrass production is expected to increase agricultural land acreage by utilizing conservation reserve program (CRP) land, pasture, and reduced winter fallow, while displacing existing crop production. This displacement is projected to lower domestic crop supplies, leading to higher prices and fewer exports, which may trigger indirect land use impacts outside the United States.
• The environmental impact of switchgrass is mixed: it may improve nutrient pollution and reduce erosion on U.S. croplands, but increased nitrogen use could raise nitrous oxide emissions, potentially outweighing soil carbon sequestration and increasing total agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
• The expansion of switchgrass production could negatively affect biodiversity and habitat quality due to the loss of pasture land and conservation reserve program acreage.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Fields of Fuel. https://www.wri.org/research/fields-fuel

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Fields of Fuel. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/fields-fuel.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Fields of Fuel |url=https://www.wri.org/research/fields-fuel |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendfields, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Fields of Fuel}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/fields-fuel}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }