Land-use change in Indian tropical agro-ecosystems: eco-energy estimation for socio-ecological sustainability (original) (raw)
Related papers
Assessing sustainability of farming systems in mountain agroecosystems of Western Himalaya, India
Agroecology and sustainable food systems, 2018
This paper examines sustainability of cash crops production systems as compared to traditional cereal cropping patterns in terms of their energy efficiency, ecological suitability, economic profitability, and social acceptability. The consistent supply of labor and energy are the most significant requirements for substantial growth of agricultural productivity in Himalayan region. For output-input ratio in terms of monetary efficiency, cash crops performed better (3.16-3.56) as compared to traditional crops (1.57-3.31), whereas the energy output-input ratio of traditional crops was found more efficient (1.63-4.72) as compared to cash crops (1.26-2.36). The monetary input and output analysis of Rabi crops was estimated to be 23.39% and 25.3% of Kharif crops, respectively; Similarly, variance in energy input (27.3%) and output (32.44%) analysis was observed between Rabi and Kharif crops, respectively. Energy input in the form of manure accounted >90% of total energy input, while other inputs (<10%) are contributed in the form of seeds, and animal and human power for all the crops. The study also highlighted the significance of traditional crops and factors responsible for their declining cultivation in the mountain region.
Energetics of hill agro-ecosystems: A case study from Central Himalaya
Agricultural Systems, 1984
The present study analyses the energy budget of crop production in hill agro-ecosystems and discusses the relation between agro-and natural ecosystems. The cultivated area is divisible according to cropping pattern into (I) vegetable-based patterns and (II) wheat-based patterns. The values of input and output, in terms of energy, indicated minimum input for the wheat-soybean and maximum input for potato-cabbage-potato patterns among all cropping patterns. 1.7 times more output of energy is generated in vegetable-based ecosystems with an input of 25 times as much fertilizer, 151 times as much manure, 6 times as much seed and 6 times as much human labour as in the wheat-based system. Hill agriculture depends to a great extent on the surrounding forest ecosystem and represents centres of massive energy consumption.
Energy, 2007
This study analyzed the energy and economics associated with cultivation of traditional and introduced crops in the mountains of the Central Himalaya, India. The production cost in terms of energy for introduced crops such as tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) cultivation was 90,358-320,516 MJ ha À1 as compared to between 19,814 and 42,380 MJ ha À1 for traditional crops within Himalayan agroecosystems. For the introduced crops, high energy and monetary input was associated with human labor, forest resources, chemical fertilizer and pesticides. However, energy threshold/projection for farmyard manure in traditional crop cultivation was 80-90% of the total energy cost, thus traditional crop cultivation was more efficient in energy and economics. During the study, the farm productivity of introduced crops cultivation declined with increasing years of cultivation. Consequently, the energy output from the system has been declining at the rate of Ày20,598 to y20,748 MJ ha À1 yr À1 for tomato and y12,072 to y15,056 MJ ha À1 yr À1 for bell pepper under irrigated and rain-fed land use in the mountains, respectively. The comparative analysis on this paradigm shift indicates that more research is needed to support sustainable crop cultivation in the fragile Himalayan environment.
Agroecology and Sustainability of Agriculture in India: An Overview
Agroecology is the application of ecological concepts and methodological design for long-term enhancement and management of soil fertility and agriculture productivity. It provides a strategy to increase diversified agro-ecosystem. So it is benefiting the effect of the incorporation of plant and animal biodiversity, nutrient recycling; biomass creation and growth through the use of natural resource systems based on legumes, trees, and incorporation of livestock. These all make the basis of a sustainable agriculture and aim to improve the food system and societal sustainability. The agroecology supports production of both a huge quantity and diversity of good quality of food, thread and medicinal crops, together with family utilization and the market for economic and nutritionally at risk populations. Sustainable agricultural practices have to tackle the conservation of biodiversity, enhanced ecological functions, social tolerance, self-reliance, fairness, improved quality of life and economic productivity of crops and live- stock. Sustainability of agriculture is viewed critically from the point of food and ecological security at the regional scale. The aim of this article is to give an overview to identify the ideal conditions of best agriculture practices and the implications and future prospects of agro-ecology for sustainable agriculture in India. Keywords: Agroecology; Sustainability; Agriculture; Agroecosystem; Prospects
Environmental Sustainability
Increasing crop production usually warrants increased use of energy in the system that triggers the question of locating an 'appropriate' operating point by weighing the economics of output and its environmental impacts. Sustainability of diverse cereals, legumes and vegetable production systems were assessed in lowlands of Nepal in light of the efficiency of energy use, CO 2 e (carbon dioxide equivalent) emissions and financial return-cost ratios. The energy saving potential of 238 farms selected in the study area is calculated adopting Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Based on the per-hectare energy consumption, vegetables (12.37 GJ), cereals (10.60 GJ) and legumes (3.80 GJ) crop production systems are ranked in descending order. Rice offered the highest per-hectare energy output (68.99 GJ) among the selected crops. Potential saving of energy inputs in the study area is shown to be between 18 and 35% without conceding yield of the particular crop production system. The highest environmental impact is due to garlic production (2997.13 kg CO 2 e ha −1); while rice, maize, wheat, lentil, mungbean and onion crops emit 60, 63, 28, 5, 3 and 86% CO 2 e emissions (of that of garlic crop), respectively. As expected, the vegetable production remains the most profitable system with the return-cost ratio of 2.96-3.52, followed by legume (1.83-2.16) and cereal (1.21-1.96) production systems.
Current Agriculture Research Journal
In the present study, the status of energy efficiency and economy of existing agroecosystems in the Shiwalik range of Kumaun Himalaya were assessed. A large number of plant species were cultivated/maintained by the local inhabitants to conserve the diversity in agroecosystems. Agriculture was the main source of economy of the villagers. The agroforestry system provides many ecological services to enhance the socio-economic condition of the farmers. In addition, home garden is another land use system, which is very common in the area. All collected data from agricultural (inputs and outputs) were calculated and converted to energy values by using constants. In the present study, average consumption of annual energy inputs in agroforestry system (103646 MJ/ha) was approximately three times more as compared to home gardens (43056 MJ/ha). Uses of chemical fertilizers and pesticides increased the inputs manifolds. Average annual energy outputs obtained from agroforestry system (434116 MJ...
Biomass & Bioenergy, 2011
Agrobiodiversity and agroecosystem management have changed in central Himalaya due to increasing emphasis on market economy and the motive 'maximization of profit'. Such changes have benefited local people in economic terms, but at the same time increased their vulnerability to environmental and economic risks. The present study addressed the issue of how the ecological functions that are provided by agrobiodiversity translate into tangible benefits for the society. Important characteristics of agrodiversity management are the use of bullocks for draught power, human energy as labour, crop residues as animal feed and animal waste mixed with forest litter as organic input to restore soil fertility levels. The present analysis of resource inputeoutput energy currency in traditional crop production indicated that inputs into different crop systems were significantly higher during kharif season compared to rabi season both under rainfed and irrigated conditions. The maximum input for crop during rabi season (second crop season) was about 31% of that of kharif season (first crop season after fallow) under rainfed conditions. Under irrigated conditions the rabi season input was about 63% of kharif season input. Under rainfed conditions, paddy sole cropping required maximum inputs (231.31 GJ/ha) as compared to mustard sole cropping (11.79 GJ/ha). The present investigation revealed that the total energy inputs and outputs are higher for irrigated agriculture as compared to rainfed system, the difference in inputs is about 5 fold and outputs is about 2 fold. The outputeinput ratio showed that irrigated systems have higher values as compared to rainfed systems.
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2018
Sustainable intensification in cereal-based cropping systems has become an important issue in present-day agriculture. Hence, finding sustainable cropping systems in terms of techno-economic and environmental dimensions will be a major focus of scientific inquiry in near future. The present study aimed at estimating system productivity, economics, energetics and GHGs emission of 12 rice-based cropping systems in selected areas of the lower Gangetic plain of West Bengal, India. Information was collected regarding the management of these twelve cropping systems through questionnaire survey of 36 farms in nine sampled villages. Energy and cost incurred during different processes at the farm level and use of different animate and inanimate energy sources to execute those processes were taken into consideration during the primary data collection through questionnaire survey. Among the different systems studied, the rice-cabbage system recorded the highest system yield (∼23 t/ha/yr) and benefit: cost ratio (4.44), followed by rice-garlic system and rice-cauliflower system. The highest specific energy was estimated in rice-wheat system (5.25 ± 0.035 MJ/kg); however, rice-garlic system showed highest energy productivity (981.29 ± 3.534 kg/GJ). Emission of both CO2 and N2O was maximum from the rice-potato system, resulting in highest estimated global warming potential (GWP) i.e. about 21.0 t CO2eq/ha/yr from the same. Following the rice-potato system, rice-rice system and rice-wheat systems witnessed maximum global warming potential (GWP). Lowest GWP was observed in rice-garlic system. Yield-scaled GHG emission was highest in the rice-wheat system (∼3.0 t CO2eq/t system yield) and lowest in rice-garlic system (<0.5 t CO2eq/t system yield). Sensitivity analysis performed through Monte-Carlo simulation was indicative of the manifested role of chemical fertilizer, followed by seed and irrigation towards increasing the yield-scaled GHG emission from different rice-based systems. Considering the higher system yield and benefit: cost ratio, highest energy productivity, and lowest GWP and yield-scaled GHG emission together, the rice-garlic system and rice-cabbage system can be good practices for ensuring sustainable resource utilization in the study region.
Journal of Experimental Biology and Agricultural Sciences, 2017
Field experiment was conducted during 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 at the Zonal Adaptive Research Station, Krishnagar, Nadia, West Bengal to find out alternative remunerative cropping systems in comparison to existing rice-rice and rice-wheat system through crop diversification and intensification in the Eastern Gangetic plain. Result of study revealed that the productivity of different cropping systems was in the order of jutepotatorice > ricepotato-rice> ricepotatosesame > juterapeseedrice > jutericerice > ricerapeseedrice > jutewheat > ricerice > ricewheat. Further, results of study suggest that jutepotatorice, ricepotatorice and ricepotatosesame are suitable for large and medium farmers but these systems have higher energy productive at the cost of higher consumption resulting lower energy productivity. Moreover, for small and marginal farmers Jutewheat and juterapeseedrice cropping system considered suitable because of their moderate cost of production and net return. .
To indicate the sustainability of agricultural landscape from its energy efficiency, energtic analysis study of various producion system was carried out in a village, West Java. Data were collected using questionnaires and direct measurements. We analyzed the energy efficiency of each system and interactions among them through energy flows, and evaluated the dependency of all systems on internal and external energy in the agricultural landscape. Regardless of important role of local resources, much amount of external materials such as inorganic fertilizers and pesticides were used in most ricefields accounted for 46 % of total inputs. The systems, thus, had low efficiency about 2.78 and depended on external inputs from outside of the agricultural landscape. On the contrary, in bamboo tree gardens and mix tree gardens, use of external materials such as pesticide and chemical fertilizer was significantly small (no more than 20 % of total inputs), particularly in bamboo tree gardens (about 4 % of total inputs). Both tree gardens had higher energy efficiency (bamboo tree garden: 28,89 and mix tree garden: 19.41) and lower external dependency than ricefield systems. In kebun-talun system, which is an unique rotation system of bamboo tree garden and “kebun” or upland field, dependency on external inputs was intermediate (38 % of total inputs) compared to ricefield, bamboo tree garden and mix tree garden since farmers used external materials only in kebun phase where the amount was still lower than ricefield. Regarding energy efficiency which is about 20.74, the system was smaller than bamboo but higher than mix tree garden and much higher than rice fields. There was relation among the four systems in terms of energy flow. To increase the sustainability by reduce high dependency on external inputs in ricefields, a new energy flow retrieved from tree gardens should be considered. Key Words:external dependency; sustainability, input-output; kebun-talun; energy efficiency.