has the potential to mitigate GHGs cost-effectively through the adoption of low
carbon in agricultural technologies and management practices. Another study by
Pathak et al. (2013) and Jain et al. (2013) inferred that the Direct Seeding of Rice
(DSR) and System of Rice Intensification (SRI) reduce or totally eliminate methane
emission, as they do not require continuous soil submergence. These DSR and SRI
have reduced the GWP by about 35–75% as compared to the conventional puddled
transplanted rice.
There are so many new technologies that are constantly emerging to improve
food production by increasing the productivity of inputs. Such technologies should
also be environmentally sustainable in view of climate change adaptation and
mitigation strategies, but not adequately tested for their environmental friendliness
due to lack of adequate methodologies and basic tools. Proper understanding of the
energy consumed in the input–output chain of agriculture and more emphasis on
renewable inputs rather than non-renewable sources will help to achieve
sustainability in food production and environmental protection. In agriculture, the
energy is being used as direct inputs for the production and as indirect input such as
manufacturing of fertilizers, chemicals, machineries, electric motors and
implements. The energy consumptions of each technology are varying with each
other in type, viz. direct or indirect, renewable or non-renewable, commercial or
non-commercial and quantity.
Energy is needed at every level of the food value chain viz., production of
agricultural inputs, crop production in the field, food processing, transportation,
marketing and consumption. Primary agricultural operations consume about 20%
of total energy involved in agriculture, whereas food processing including transport
uses around 40% of energy. The processes along the value chain to the right
(Fig. 13.6) are heavily dependent on the use of fossil fuels. These energy demands
can be reduced in all agricultural processes where energy is used, by appropriate
technology changes, as well as by improved management and operations
(Energypedia 2019). It is also noted that GHG emissions would continue at a
significant level from the agricultural sector unless the energy efficiency of that
sector increased. The major knowledge gaps mentioned by Energypedia (2019) are
(1) subsidy measures which often hide energy costs, (2) the long period of relatively
cheap supplies of fossil energy, (3) the assumption that measures to increase
agricultural production cannot be reconciled with the reduction of fossil energy
inputs, (4) the hypothesis that energy inputs in agricultural production are either
low or cannot be reduced in an economic manner, (5) lack of funding for
interventions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural and food
industry and (6) the lack of advisory and consulting services constitutes another
major obstacle for the successful implementation of improvement measures in the
field of sustainable energy in the agricultural and food economy. Hence, it is
appropriate and need of the hour to use energy consumption or energy efficiency
as a factor in identifying the climate smart agriculture.
13 TNAU Energy Soft 2016: An Efficient Energy Audit Tool to Identify Energy. . .
291
carbon in agricultural technologies and management practices. Another study by
Pathak et al. (2013) and Jain et al. (2013) inferred that the Direct Seeding of Rice
(DSR) and System of Rice Intensification (SRI) reduce or totally eliminate methane
emission, as they do not require continuous soil submergence. These DSR and SRI
have reduced the GWP by about 35–75% as compared to the conventional puddled
transplanted rice.
There are so many new technologies that are constantly emerging to improve
food production by increasing the productivity of inputs. Such technologies should
also be environmentally sustainable in view of climate change adaptation and
mitigation strategies, but not adequately tested for their environmental friendliness
due to lack of adequate methodologies and basic tools. Proper understanding of the
energy consumed in the input–output chain of agriculture and more emphasis on
renewable inputs rather than non-renewable sources will help to achieve
sustainability in food production and environmental protection. In agriculture, the
energy is being used as direct inputs for the production and as indirect input such as
manufacturing of fertilizers, chemicals, machineries, electric motors and
implements. The energy consumptions of each technology are varying with each
other in type, viz. direct or indirect, renewable or non-renewable, commercial or
non-commercial and quantity.
Energy is needed at every level of the food value chain viz., production of
agricultural inputs, crop production in the field, food processing, transportation,
marketing and consumption. Primary agricultural operations consume about 20%
of total energy involved in agriculture, whereas food processing including transport
uses around 40% of energy. The processes along the value chain to the right
(Fig. 13.6) are heavily dependent on the use of fossil fuels. These energy demands
can be reduced in all agricultural processes where energy is used, by appropriate
technology changes, as well as by improved management and operations
(Energypedia 2019). It is also noted that GHG emissions would continue at a
significant level from the agricultural sector unless the energy efficiency of that
sector increased. The major knowledge gaps mentioned by Energypedia (2019) are
(1) subsidy measures which often hide energy costs, (2) the long period of relatively
cheap supplies of fossil energy, (3) the assumption that measures to increase
agricultural production cannot be reconciled with the reduction of fossil energy
inputs, (4) the hypothesis that energy inputs in agricultural production are either
low or cannot be reduced in an economic manner, (5) lack of funding for
interventions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural and food
industry and (6) the lack of advisory and consulting services constitutes another
major obstacle for the successful implementation of improvement measures in the
field of sustainable energy in the agricultural and food economy. Hence, it is
appropriate and need of the hour to use energy consumption or energy efficiency
as a factor in identifying the climate smart agriculture.
13 TNAU Energy Soft 2016: An Efficient Energy Audit Tool to Identify Energy. . .
291