![]() This is considered a viable option to feed the increasing demand for lignocellulosic material. Short rotation plantation (SRP) is a cultivation form in which fast-growing tree species are grown on agricultural land. However, forestry alone is not able to meet the growing demand of woody biomass for all material and energy needs, due to technical constraints, as well as ecological and legal restrictions, such as processing technologies, forest conservation, and sustainable forest management practices, respectively. The forest-based sector has the potential to take a central role in bioeconomy by providing considerable amounts of raw materials and products. With the new bio economy strategy for Europe, it is aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, provide sustainably produced food and energy, and implement a circular, secure, and resource-efficient economy. The transition from using nonrenewable resources to renewable resources for energy and material is gaining momentum with the political-economic concept of a bioeconomy. This aspect should also be acknowledged to increase acceptance of stakeholders, such as land owners, governmental actors, and the general public, which is needed to develop measures to encourage SRP. ![]() Because the study identified conflicting views about the possible impacts of SRP on the environment and the rural community, it is considered crucial to provide farmers with science-based facts on these issues. Moreover, the study found agricultural cooperatives more open to SRP than agricultural business companies, as they are more interested in the economic benefits and prefer agricultural activity over fallow land. The economic benefit from using low quality lands and environmental benefits from SRP were identified incentives. Slovakia’s land fragmentation in combination with the required landowner’s consent, competition with food production, and lack of identification with SRP were identified as prominent barriers. Qualitative interviews in 2018 explored personal and situational factors that influenced local farmers’ ( N = 19) willingness to adopt SRP. This study focuses on the Malacky region in Western Slovakia because of suitable land quality and a board production site close by providing a significant local market for the produced biomass. Marginal lands are considered a promising option for producing SRP biomass and avoiding conflicts with food production. However, farmers all over Europe show limited adoption of SRP. Short rotation plantations (SRP), also called short rotation coppice, can contribute to bioeconomy by satisfying the rising demand for wood raw material while strengthening the rural economy.
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