The Digest’s 2025 Multi-Slide Guide to Modeling Farmer Adoption and Bioenergy Supply Chain Evolution

Biofuel production faces hurdles from slow technology and supply chain uncertainties. This study uses an innovative Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) approach to simulate farmer behavior and land allocation for biomass. ABMs show producer adoption impacts biorefinery supply radii (shrinking from 90 to 22 miles) and steady-state feedstock mixes. The model indicates optimizing biorefinery ecosystems could reduce CO2 emissions by 18.5%. Overcoming producer barriers is crucial for feedstock sourcing and a viable bioeconomy.