Modifications of traditional rice production practices in the developing world: An energy efficiency analysis

Abstract

Modifications of rice production practices are examined using the process method of energy analysis. Human and animal labor inputs, equipment requirements and auxilliary inputs of fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and irrigation are calculated for various agricultural methods. Each operation in the cultivation process, i.e., seeding, land preparation, harvesting and threshing is examined with respect to cultural energy inputs. Traditional, transitional (labor intensive), Green Revolution (capital intensive) and experimental (intermediate) methods of rice production are compared by computing the ratio of food energy output to cultural energy input. For all methods of rice production, there is a greater energy output of food produced compared to cultural energy used for production. Comparative efficiencies are also calculated for each production method, contrasting the minimum amount of energy required to produce a specific quantity of rice with the actual amount of energy required. Measured in this way, the transitional method is seen as the most effective modification of the traditional method (a comparative efficiency of 48.0), compared with the experimental method (33.6) and the Green Revolution method (21.0).