![]() ![]() Thus, increasing energy use efficiency in crop production is important for food security and environmental sustainability. Sustainable development of agriculture is dependent on high energy use efficiency with low energy use in crop production. Both agriculture and the environment are dependent on each other and the efficient use of energy is a basic requirement for sustainable agriculture. Finally, scarcity of cultivable lands and irrigation water increased the human population, and the desire for improved living standards has also contributed to the intensive use of energy in agriculture. In addition to this diesel fuel consumption has also increased due to farm mechanization and pumping of underground water. It is also ascribed to the introduction of high yielding varieties, and excessive use of biocides and chemical fertilizer. Escape of traditional practices in agriculture, technological advancements in Agri-machinery, and increased application rate of fertilizer is also responsible for increased use of energy in crop production. This has led to increased energy used in crop production at a faster rate compared to other sectors. Sometimes to get maximum returns farmers make overuse of energy inputs. On the other hand, intensive use of energy in crop production is posing many threats to agriculture sustainability, human health, and sustainability of the environment. It is anticipated that energy input for crop production will increase further mainly due to population and economic growth, climate change, degrading quality of soils, and shortage of labor. Īfter the green revolution, the introduction of high yield varieties and intensive crop management practices has increased the use of energy manifolds in both developing and developed countries. As a result, agriculture has become energy-intensive to meet increased food and biofuel demand. Energy, which is an essential input in agriculture, has been considered as a feasible option to increase food productivity and enhance food security. ![]() Population growth and increased demand for food have led humanity to look for new ways to increase food production. The substantial difference between the energy use of inefficient and efficient indicates that there’s a significant potential to improve energy use efficiency in both systems. Results of data envelopment analysis reveal that 38% of wheat farmers in rainfed systems and 62% in the irrigated system are using energy efficiently. Similarly, energy efficiency values of rainfed wheat are better than irrigated wheat. Energy consumed per kilogram of wheat produced is less in rainfed wheat compared to irrigated. Fertilizer has the highest share in total energy consumption followed by diesel fuel. ![]() The main difference between both production systems is because of irrigation water. Energy input–output analysis revealed that 49,079 MJ/ha input energy is used in irrigated wheat and 31,421 MJ/ha in rainfed wheat. In this chapter, we have analyzed the energy use efficiency of wheat crop grown in two different production systems using data collected from wheat farmers of Punjab province of Pakistan through face-to-face interviews. The intensive use of energy has many consequences for energy security and environmental sustainability. To meet increased demand, farmers have increased the use of input energy in wheat production. Wheat is an important staple food in Pakistan and is grown in both irrigated and rainfed production systems. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |