Energy productivity and efficiency of maize accounting for the choice of growing season and environmental factors: An empirical analysis from Bangladesh

Abstract

EGY-D-12-00895.R1 (Revised version including comments of both referees and the editor) Energy productivity and efficiency of maize accounting for the choice of growing season and environmental factors: an empirical analysis from Bangladesh

Whether crop diversification is energy efficient: An empirical analysis from Bangladesh

“…Nevertheless, 52.5% of the total farmers are operating at a technical energy efficiency level of 81% and above ( Table 6). Observation of wide variation in technical efficiency is not surprising and is similar to the results of Rahman and Rahman [1], Rahman and Barmon [12], and Rahman [7,17] for Bangladesh and Bravo-Ureta et al [32] for developing economies worldwide covering a range of crops and systems, respectively.…”

“…The renewed drive to increase agricultural production using modern technology to feed the growing population in the face of closing land frontier and falling yield levels has resulted in an unprecedented increase in the use of commercial energy in agriculture in developing 3 economies. The increase in energy use is particularly high in countries reliant on Green Revolution technology to promote agricultural growth which in turn is largely dependent on non-renewable fossil fuels, e.g., inorganic fertilizers, pesticides and mechanization (particularly for supplementary irrigation and land preparation) [1]. For example, commercial energy use in Bangladesh agriculture has been modest in the past but increased rapidly in recent years.…”

“…For example, commercial energy use in Bangladesh agriculture has been modest in the past but increased rapidly in recent years. The energy intensity (i.e., commercial energy/GDP ratio) in Bangladesh agriculture has increased from only 1.78 in 2000 to 11.31 in 2008 [2], implying that the sector is becoming energy intensive mainly due to the widespread diffusion of a rice-based Green Revolution initiated since the early 1960s, thereby, adding further a crisis to the existing problem of acute energy deficiency in the economy [1].…”

“…Only a few focused on its impact on technical efficiency where conclusions are mixed. For example, 1 The term 'gher' refers to the modification of a paddy field to enable the operation of three enterprises: prawn (principal enterprise), fish, and high yielding varieties of rice. The middle of the 'gher' is surrounded by high and wide dikes with canals dug at the inner periphery of the dikes.…”

Assessing the Impact of Watershed Development on Energy Efficiency in Groundnut Production Using DEA Approach in the Semi-Arid Tropics of Southern India

“…For example, chemical fertilizers and pesticides require much greater energy to manufacture than to apply on-farm 3 . With rapid depletion of non-renewable energy sources, rapid population growth and environmental degradation energy use in agriculture has become an issue of concern 4 , as evident by deteriorating water and land resources and their contribution to global warming through increased emission of greenhouse gases 5,6 . Therefore, energy-efficient crop production is vital for reducing environmental hazards, preventing destruction of natural resources and ensuring agricultural sustainability 7 .…”