Energy Use in Conservation Agriculture

Abstract

Agricultural productivity is closely linked with energy inputs. The measure of energy flow provides a good indicator of the technological aspects of a crop production system. In India, efforts to develop, refine, and disseminate conservation agriculture (CA)-based technologies have been underway for more than two decades. Significant progress has been made on zero-till wheat under rice–wheat rotation of the Indo-Gangetic plains despite several constraints on the way. There are more payoffs than trade-offs from the adoption of CA but the equilibrium between the two has not been well understood, not only by its adopters but also the promoters. The technologies of CA provide opportunities to reduce the cost of production and energy use, and enhance energy-use efficiency. In addition, CA saves water and nutrients, increases yields, promotes crop diversification, and leads to efficient use of resources and benefits to the environment. This chapter reviews the research achievements in the area of energy use in CA and farming systems. Various forms of energy, namely direct energy, indirect energy, commercial energy, and renewable energy involved in crop production activities have been discussed to provide a better understanding for readers. In this chapter, various aspects of energy use in agriculture, and more particularly in CA–based systems, have been presented based on research works in India and other Asian countries.