The aim of this project is to study how localizing food production to a system that relies on nutrient recycling and bioenergy impacts nutrient and energy flows on different spatial scales. As a model for such a localized food production we have introduced a model called Agroecological symbiosis (AES) which is a combination of localized primary food production, bioenergy production, localized food processing and a localized food market. In this system bio-wastes are recycled as resources for production processes, nutrient cycling and energy.
Farm and regional scale impacts on the environment will be studied through case studies comparing the AES model to the present situation in farming. It is hypothesized that in the supply side redesigning the food system by using AES is a sustainable way to close nutrient loops and produce renewable energy at farm and regional level. AES is a replicable model which has potential to play a central role in “mainstream agriculture”.