How Modern Energy Use Can Increase Farm Production

Sustainability in agriculture and associated primary industries, which are both energy-intensive, is crucial for the development of any country. Increasing scarcity and resulting high fossil fuel prices combined with the need to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, make the improvement of energy efficient farming and increased use of renewable energy essential. This book provides a technological and scientific endeavor to assist society and farming communities in different regions and scales to improve their productivity and sustainability. To fulfill future needs of a modern sustainable agriculture, this book addresses highly actual topics providing innovative, effective and more sustainable solutions for agriculture by using sustainable, environmentally friendly, renewable energy sources and modern energy efficient, cost-improved technologies. The book highlights new areas of research, and further R&D needs. It helps to improve food security for the rapidly growing world population and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel use in agriculture, which presently contributes 22% of the global carbon dioxide emissions. This book provides a source of information, stimuli and incentives for what and how new and energy efficient technologies can be applied as effective tools and solutions in agricultural production to satisfy the continually increasing demand for food and fibre in an economically sustainable way, while contributing to global climate change mitigation. It will be useful and inspiring to decision makers working in different authorities, professionals, agricultural engineers, researchers, and students concerned with agriculture and related primay industries, sustainable energy development and climate change mitigation projects.

This last volume of the Energy in World Agriculture series is in many ways the series' Alpha and its Omega. It addresses the broad issues related to the use of energy in agricultural production, and also characterizes and quantifies the energy involvements of many agricultural production technologies. It is a compilation of descriptive and analytical information and design principles and data of energy use in this field. A significant aspect is the relationship between energy and agricultural productivity, increased knowledge and resulting improved management of energy-consuming operations on the farm. Information provided here has not been published elsewhere before. Throughout the book are examples of the important role that energy inputs have played in increasing productivity of the world's agricultural systems. Together with a revived interest in energy for agricultural production due to increases in energy costs, this volume meets that interest with valuable information and insights.

In 2021, the United Nations Secretary-General will convene the Food Systems Summit to advance dialogue and action towards transforming the way the world produces, consumes and thinks about food guided by the overarching vision of a fairer, more sustainable world. The Secretary-General will also convene the High-Level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE) to promote the implementation of the energy-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Given the inextricable linkages between the energy and agriculture sectors, integrating the nexus perspective within the FSS and the HLDE is crucial to formulate a joint vision of actions to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement. In this context, IRENA and FAO have decided to jointly develop a report on the role of renewable energy used in food chain to advance energy and food security as well as climate action towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. While energy has a key enabling role in food system transformation and innovation in agriculture, its current use is unsustainable because of the high dependence on fossil fuels and frequent access to energy in developing countries. The challenge is to disconnect fossil fuel use from food system transformation without hampering food security. The use of renewable energy in food systems offers vast opportunities to address this challenge and help food systems meet their energy needs while advancing rural development while contributing to rural development and climate action.

​This Brief examines the sustainability of energy use in global food production and processing. The nexus between food, water, and energy are explored against a background of climate change. Current efforts to reduce the energy intensity of food and increase sustainability are explored. Food waste and its impact on energy is covered, including regional variations and nutrient recycling methods. Energy Use in Global Food Production uses case studies to illustrate how food production and processing is a significant contributor to anthropogenic climate change. Modern industrial agriculture uses fossil fuel to grow crops and produce fertilizers, pesticides and farm machinery. Additional energy is used to transport and process food at a primary and secondary level. With the median forecast for global population at more than 9 billion by 2030, a 30% increase over the current population, energy efficient food processing will be of increasing importance. This Brief provides an overview of current energy efficient food processing methods looks at the way forward as demands continue to increase.

This Brief examines the sustainability of energy use in global food production and processing. The nexus between food, water, and energy are explored against a background of climate change. Current efforts to reduce the energy intensity of food and increase sustainability are explored. Food waste and its impact on energy is covered, including regional variations and nutrient recycling methods. Energy Use in Global Food Production uses case studies to illustrate how food production and processing is a significant contributor to anthropogenic climate change. Modern industrial agriculture uses fossil fuel to grow crops and produce fertilizers, pesticides and farm machinery. Additional energy is used to transport and process food at a primary and secondary level. With the median forecast for global population at more than 9 billion by 2030, a 30% increase over the current population, energy efficient food processing will be of increasing importance. This Brief provides an overview of current energy efficient food processing methods looks at the way forward as demands continue to increase. .

Modern industrial agriculture is not sustainable because of its heavy reliance on petroleum, a non-renewable source of the energy used in farming, and because of pollution caused by petroleum products such as fertilizers and pesticides. A systems analysis of farming suggests that agriculture will be more sustainable when services of nature, such as nutrient recycling by soil micro-organisms and natural controls of insects, replace the services now provided by energy from petroleum. Examples are drawn from the Southeastern USA, but lessons learned can be applied worldwide.

This book examines the characteristics and opportunities for farm energy in the northeast quadrant of the United States, with attention to energy use, strategic energy management, and energy production by solar, wind, biomass, and other means. Throughout, the distinct characteristics of the region and their impact on energy solutions are discussed, and the outlook for future energy strategies is considered. Farm energy production and use are topics of increasing interest, as the need for improved efficiency and the opportunity for sustainable energy production both drive agricultural enterprises to reduce energy use and pursue opportunities for renewable energy production and use on the farm. However, the unique regional characteristics of agriculture make it challenging to apply a single approach to all situations.