Energy consumption and CO2 emissions in rainfed agricultural production systems of Northeast Thailand

Farm mechanization has been progressively increasing in Thailand for the past decades. Consumption and abuse of energy intensive inputs, machinery and agro-chemicals is increasingly propagated into agricultural production systems. Effects of energy intensive input utilization and farm technologies are directly associated especially with farm economic and atmospheric issues. This warrants the need of energy input–output analyses coupled with its environmental dimension. This paper presents the energy input–output analyses of different agricultural activities and fresh pond-culture (polyculture), for which data were collected from 46 rainfed integrated agricultural production systems (IAPSs) of 281 farm plots surveyed. Total energy consumption including non-renewable energy input (NREI), direct and indirect energy input, and system efficiency are calculated and compared for different crops. Resource-wise energy input utilization and energy consumed by farm operations are also discussed for different crops. Further, this study simultaneously relates energy consumption in agricultural production systems associated with their corresponding greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission – presented in terms of total carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Results reveal noticeable variations in energy consumption and CO2e emissions from various agricultural production activities. The study reveals that the maximum energy consumer is cassava (32.4 GJ ha−1). Major energy input consumption for all productions are indicated by fossil fuel (diesel oil) as fresh pond-culture depended on fish feed. Transplanted rice provides the highest CO2e emission (1112 kg CO2e ha−1) among crops, in which more than 50% is contributed by methane (CH4).

► Cassava (32.4 GJ ha−1) was the major energy consumer.
► Fossil fuel (diesel) remained the major energy input for all production systems.
► Transplanted rice provided the highest CO2e emission (906 kg CO2e ha−1) among crops.
► Rice–grass–cassava–fruit–vegetables system emitted the least (522 kg CO2e ha−1).