Modelling Energy Use in Indian Agriculture: A Sectoral Approach

Resource Use Efficiency in Indian Agriculture

The term ‘resource use efficiency in agriculture’ may be broadly defined to include the concepts of technical efficiency, allocative efficiency and environmental efficiency. An efficient farmer allocates his land, labour, water and other resources in an optimal manner, so as to maximise his income, at least cost, on sustainable basis. However, there are countless studies showing that farmers of...

Energy Use in American Agriculture

Trends in Energy Use and Agriculture

Draft animal power (DAP) has been identified as an environmentally friendly technology that is based on renewable energy and encompasses integration of livestock and crop production systems. Draft animal technology provides farmers with a possibility to cheaply access and use manure from the draft animals and farm power needed to apply renewable practices for land intensification. Compared to m...

Environment and Health Aspects of Pesticides Use in Indian Agriculture

In the recent past, pesticide related issues have been extensively highlighted in the media including research journals and attracted wider debate and sharp focus among the interested groups in India. Indiscriminate and excessive application of synthetic pesticides damaged not only the environment and agriculture but also have entered into the food chain thereby affecting health and development...

Changing Energy-use Pattern and the Demand Projection for Indian Agriculture§

The structure of energy-use in Indian agriculture has changed substantially, with a significant shift from the animal and human power towards machines, electricity and diesel. The total commercial energy input in Indian agriculture has increased from 425.4 × 109 Mega Joules in 1980-81 to 2592.8 × 109 Mega Joules in 2006-07. This shift, coupled with increasing commercialization and diversificati...