Prof. dr. sc. Danijel Jug

Fakultet agrobiotehničkih znanosti Osijek

1. Energetska i prehrambena suverenost danas se više ne mogu promatrati odvojeno.

Energetska i prehrambena suverenost danas se više ne mogu promatrati odvojeno. Poljoprivreda je istodobno proizvođač hrane, veliki korisnik energije i prirodnih resursa, ali i sektor sa značajnim potencijalom za proizvodnju energije. Upravo zato energetska suverenost nije samo pitanje elektroenergetskog sustava, infrastrukture ili dostupnosti energenata. Ona je sve više i pitanje načina na koji proizvodimo hranu.

Globalne krize posljednjih godina pokazale su koliko je poljoprivreda osjetljiva na poremećaje cijena i dostupnosti energije, mineralnih gnojiva, goriva i drugih proizvodnih inputa. Energetska ovisnost vrlo brzo postaje proizvodna, ekonomska, a u konačnici i prehrambena ovisnost. Sposobnost poljoprivrednog gospodarstva da racionalnije koristi energiju, smanji potrebu za vanjskim inputima i barem dio potrebne energije proizvede samo stoga postaje važan element njegove stabilnosti.

Za Hrvatsku je to pitanje posebno važno. Raspolažemo značajnim poljoprivrednim resursima i prostorom s potencijalom za veću proizvodnju hrane, ali smo istodobno izloženi energetskim i tržišnim poremećajima koji se izravno prenose na troškove proizvodnje. Energetsku tranziciju u poljoprivredi zato ne treba promatrati samo kroz smanjenje emisija, nego i kao instrument jačanja konkurentnosti domaće proizvodnje, prehrambene sigurnosti i gospodarske vitalnosti ruralnog prostora.

2. Energetska suverenost poljoprivrede

Međutim, energetsku suverenost poljoprivrede ne treba svesti samo na postavljanje solarnih panela na poljoprivredne površine ili krovove gospodarskih objekata. Ona počinje mnogo ranije – načinom gospodarenja tlom, vodom, biomasom i ostalim resursima uključenima u proizvodnju.

Sustavi konzervacijske i regenerativne poljoprivrede dobar su primjer takvog pristupa. Smanjenje intenziteta obrade tla može smanjiti broj prohoda mehanizacije i potrošnju goriva, dok pokrovni usjevi, plodored i racionalno gospodarenje žetvenim ostacima pridonose očuvanju organske tvari, vode i proizvodnog potencijala tla. Precizna poljoprivreda dodatno omogućuje učinkovitiju primjenu gnojiva, sredstava za zaštitu bilja, vode i drugih proizvodnih resursa. Cilj nije smanjivati proizvodnju, nego proizvoditi učinkovitije – s manjim utroškom energije i resursa po jedinici proizvoda.

3.Energetski najučinkovitija energija još uvijek je ona koju nismo morali potrošiti.

Drugu razinu predstavlja proizvodnja energije na samom poljoprivrednom gospodarstvu. Fotonaponski sustavi na postojećim gospodarskim objektima, bioplin, korištenje poljoprivredne biomase i nusproizvoda te skladištenje energije omogućuju postupni prijelaz gospodarstva iz pozicije isključivog potrošača prema aktivnom sudioniku energetskog sustava. Posebnu mogućnost predstavljaju agrosolarni sustavi, ali samo kada su projektirani tako da proizvodnja energije ne potiskuje primarnu funkciju poljoprivrednog zemljišta – proizvodnju hrane. Hrana i energija ne smiju postati konkurenti za isti resurs, nego, gdje god je to agronomski i ekonomski opravdano, komplementarne djelatnosti.

Takav pristup ima i širu razvojnu dimenziju. Energija proizvedena u ruralnom prostoru može se koristiti za navodnjavanje, sušenje, hlađenje, skladištenje i preradu poljoprivrednih proizvoda. Time se ne smanjuju samo troškovi, nego se stvaraju pretpostavke da se veći dio dodane vrijednosti zadrži na gospodarstvu i u lokalnoj zajednici. Za hrvatski ruralni prostor to može biti posebno značajno.

Energetski stabilnija gospodarstva, lokalna prerada i kratki lanci opskrbe mogu povećati gospodarsku aktivnost ruralnih područja i smanjiti njihovu izloženost poremećajima udaljenih tržišta i centraliziranih sustava opskrbe.

Upravo tu treba tražiti vezu između energetske i prehrambene suverenosti. Država koja raspolaže poljoprivrednim zemljištem, vodom, biomasom, znanjem i drugim proizvodnim resursima, ali je snažno ovisna o uvozu energije, hrane ili strateških inputa, teško može govoriti o punoj otpornosti vlastitog prehrambenog sustava. Suverenost pritom ne znači potpunu samodostatnost niti zatvaranje prema tržištu. Ona prije svega znači sposobnost sustava da u kriznim okolnostima zadrži ključne proizvodne funkcije i prihvatljivu razinu sigurnosti opskrbe.

4. Budućnost hrvatske poljoprivrede i energetska tranzicija

Zato budućnost hrvatske poljoprivrede ne treba graditi na konceptu maksimalne proizvodnje pod svaku cijenu, nego na konceptu optimalne proizvodnje uz racionalno korištenje vlastitih resursa. Zdravo i funkcionalno tlo, dostupna voda, obnovljivi izvori energije, digitalne tehnologije i znanje čine povezanu infrastrukturu suvremene poljoprivrede.

Energetska tranzicija za poljoprivredu stoga ne bi trebala predstavljati dodatnu obvezu koju treba administrativno ispuniti, nego razvojnu priliku. Gospodarstvo koje učinkovitije upravlja energijom, proizvodi dio vlastitih energetskih potreba i istodobno čuva proizvodni potencijal tla postaje manje izloženo klimatskim, energetskim i tržišnim poremećajima. Prenesemo li takav pristup na razinu hrvatskog poljoprivrednog prostora, energetska autonomija pojedinačnog gospodarstva prestaje biti samo njegova poslovna prednost i postaje dio nacionalne otpornosti.

Energetska suverenost poljoprivrede zato nije samo pitanje energije. Ona je pitanje sposobnosti da dugoročno proizvodimo hranu, upravljamo vlastitim resursima i očuvamo proizvodni prostor za generacije koje dolaze.

Prof. Dr. Sc. Danijel Jug
Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek

Energy sovereignty begins on the farm

1. Energy and food sovereignty can no longer be viewed separately today.

Energy and food sovereignty can no longer be viewed separately today. Agriculture is at the same time a food producer, a major user of energy and natural resources, but also a sector with significant potential for energy production. That is why energy sovereignty is not just a question of the electricity system, infrastructure or availability of energy sources. It is increasingly also a question of the way we produce food.
The global crises of recent years have shown how sensitive agriculture is to disruptions in the prices and availability of energy, mineral fertilizers, fuels and other production inputs. Energy dependence very quickly becomes production, economic and ultimately food dependence. The ability of the farm to use energy more rationally, reduce the need for external inputs and produce at least part of the necessary energy is therefore becoming an important element of its stability.
This issue is particularly important for Croatia. We have significant agricultural resources and space with the potential for greater food production, but at the same time we are exposed to energy and market disruptions that are directly transferred to production costs. The energy transition in agriculture should therefore not be viewed only through reducing emissions, but also as an instrument for strengthening the competitiveness of domestic production, food security and the economic vitality of rural areas.

2. Energy sovereignty of agriculture

However, energy sovereignty in agriculture should not be reduced only to installing solar panels on agricultural land or roofs of farm buildings. It starts much earlier – with the way soil, water, biomass and other resources involved in production are managed.
Conservation and regenerative agriculture systems are a good example of such an approach. Reducing the intensity of soil cultivation can reduce the number of mechanization passes and fuel consumption, while cover crops, crop rotation and rational management of harvest residues contribute to the preservation of organic matter, water and the production potential of the soil. Precision agriculture additionally enables more efficient use of fertilizers, plant protection products, water and other production resources. The goal is not to reduce production, but to produce more efficiently – with less energy and resource consumption per unit of product.

3. The most energy-efficient energy is still the one we did not have to consume.

The second level is energy production on the farm itself. Photovoltaic systems on existing farm buildings, biogas, the use of agricultural biomass and by-products, and energy storage enable the gradual transition of the economy from the position of an exclusive consumer to an active participant in the energy system. Agrosolar systems represent a special opportunity, but only when they are designed in such a way that energy production does not suppress the primary function of agricultural land – food production. Food and energy must not become competitors for the same resource, but, wherever agronomically and economically justified, complementary activities.
Such an approach also has a broader development dimension. Energy produced in rural areas can be used for irrigation, drying, cooling, storage and processing of agricultural products. This not only reduces costs, but also creates the prerequisites for retaining a larger part of the added value on the farm and in the local community. This can be particularly significant for the Croatian rural area.
Energy-stable economies, local processing and short supply chains can increase the economic activity of rural areas and reduce their exposure to disruptions from distant markets and centralised supply systems.
This is precisely where the link between energy and food sovereignty should be sought. A country that has agricultural land, water, biomass, knowledge and other production resources, but is heavily dependent on imported energy, food or strategic inputs, can hardly speak of the full resilience of its own food system. Sovereignty does not mean complete self-sufficiency or closure to the market. It primarily means the system’s ability to maintain key production functions and an acceptable level of security of supply in crisis circumstances.

4. The future of Croatian agriculture and the energy transition

Therefore, the future of Croatian agriculture should not be built on the concept of maximum production at all costs, but on the concept of optimal production with the rational use of its own resources. Healthy and functional soil, accessible water, renewable energy sources, digital technologies and knowledge make up the connected infrastructure of modern agriculture.
The energy transition for agriculture should therefore not represent an additional obligation that needs to be fulfilled administratively, but rather a development opportunity. Economy which manages energy more efficiently, produces part of its own energy needs and at the same time preserves the productive potential of the soil becomes less exposed to climate, energy and market disruptions. If we transfer such an approach to the level of the Croatian agricultural space, the energy autonomy of an individual farm ceases to be just its business advantage and becomes part of national resilience.
Therefore, the energy sovereignty of agriculture is not just a question of energy. It is a question of the ability to produce food in the long term, manage our own resources and preserve the production space for generations to come.