Management of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions using the optimal farm scale: Evidence from wheat production in South Khorasan Province

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Agricultural Planning, Economic and Rural Development Research Institute (APERDRI), Tehran, I. R. Iran

Abstract

The need for sustainable resource management is increasingly urgent. A prerequisite for achieving sustainable agriculture is the use of production resources more efficiently. In this study, by combining Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) using environmental and economic indices, the effect of optimal farm scale on the improvement of these indices was investigated. Data were obtained from 136 farmers using a questionnaire and face-to-face interviews. The mean technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency were estimated to be 0.76, 0.89 and 0.85; respectively, while the benefit-to-cost ratio was found to be 1.22. Results indicated that if the resources were used efficiently on an optimum scale, the emission and energy use could be reduced to 976.33 kg CO2eq ha-1 and 15391 MJ ha-1. 37.73 % of the energy savings, respectively. Also, 35.6% of greenhouse gas emission reductions were related to the optimal farm scale. Furthermore, the contribution of the optimal scale in improving the benefit-to-cost ratio and energy use efficiency was found to be 12.5 and 16.23%, respectively. The results showed that the optimum scale of agricultural activities was a crucial factor in saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in wheat production in eastern Iran. Therefore, as local farms in the studied region mostly were small-scale, fragmented and scattered, land integration and promotion of activities at the optimal production scale are recommended as important steps in reducing environmental side-effects and increasing farmers’ profitability.

Keywords

Article Title [Persian]

مدیریت مصرف انرژی و انتشار گازهای گلخانه ای با استفاده از مقیاس بهینه مزرعه: شواهدی از تولید گندم در استان خراسان جنوبی

Author [Persian]

  • سید محمد جعفر اصفهانی
مؤسسه پژوهش های برنامه ریزی ،اقتصاد کشاورزی و توسعه روستایی، تهران، ج. ا. ایران
Abstract [Persian]

نیاز به مدیریت پایدار منابع یک ضرورت در حال افزایش است. استفاده کارآمدتر از منابع تولید، پیش نیاز دستیابی به کشاورزی پایدار است. در این تحقیق با ترکیب تحلیل پوششی داده ها  با استفاده از شاخص های زیست محیطی و اقتصادی، تأثیر مقیاس بهینه مزرعه بر  بهبود این شاخص­ها بررسی شد. داده‌های مورد نیاز از ۱۳۶ کشاورز با استفاده از روش پرسشنامه و مصاحبه چهره‌به‌چهره به دست آمد. نتایج مطالعه نشان داد میانگین کارایی ­فنی، کارایی­ فنی خالص و کارایی­ مقیاس به ترتیب 0/76، 0/89 و 0/85، و نسبت فایده به هزینه 1/2 بود. نتایج نشان داد که در صورت استفاده کارآمد از منابع در مقیاس بهینه مزرعه، انتشار گازهای گلخانه­ای و مصرف انرژی را می توان به ترتیب به 976 کیلوگرم  CO2eq و  15391/77 مگاژول در هکتار کاهش داد؛ 37/73 درصد از صرفه جویی مصرف انرژی و 35/6 درصد از کاهش انتشار گازهای گلخانه ­ای  به مقیاس بهینه مزرعه مربوط بود. علاوه بر این، سهم مقیاس بهینه در بهبود نسبت فایده به هزینه و کارایی مصرف انرژی به ترتیب 12/5 و 16/23 درصد بود. نتایج نشان داد که مقیاس بهینه مزرعه یکی از عوامل مهم در صرفه‌جویی مصرف انرژی و کاهش انتشار گازهای گلخانه‌ای تولید گندم در شرق ایران بود. بنابراین، از آنجا که اکثر مزارع در منطقه مورد مطالعه در مقیاس کوچک و پراکنده بودند، یکپارچه‌سازی اراضی و ترویج فعالیت در مقیاس بهینه تولید به عنوان مهم‌ترین گام در کاهش اثرات جانبی زیست‌محیطی و افزایش سودآوری کشاورزان توصیه می‌شود. 

Keywords [Persian]

  • انتشار گازهای گلخانه‌ای
  • کارایی مصرف انرژی
  • کارایی مقیاس
  • گندم

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Iran Agricultural Research
Volume 40, Issue 2
March 2022
Pages 71-83

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