Energy budget of fodder harvesting pattern along the altitudinal gradient in Garhwal Himalaya, India

Fodder plays a major role in crop-livestock-manure-soil nutrient cycle of farms in middle mountains of the Himalaya. In Garhwal part of Indian Himalayan Region fodder is mainly collected by lopping the vegetative biomass of trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses. The present study was carried out to understand the fodder utilization pattern, energy budget and problems related to fodder biomass removal in existing traditional hill agro-ecosystems prevalent at different altitudes of Garhwal Himalaya. The total fodder collection at different altitudes varied for green and dry fodder. The total green fodder collection ranged from 64.4 ± 3.60 to 84.0 ± 6.23 kg household⁻¹ day⁻¹ whereas, total dry fodder collection ranged from 62.4 ± 1.66 to 80.4 ± 5.11 kg household⁻¹ day⁻¹. Fodder collection was varied in summer (March-October) and winter months (November-February) of the year. The labor energy expended for fodder collection varied from 832.78 ± 61.05 to 1192.44 ± 45.66 MJ household⁻¹ year⁻¹. In last few years fodder removal has enhanced resource extraction conflicts, malnutrition of women and their off-springs, improper education of females, increased health and life hazards, accidents because of collapse, etc. For better utilization of dry fodder in hilly areas, the farmers and livestock owners should be motivated and educated toward modern feeding options. Novel feeding system of complete feed and silage preparation for lean periods is well suited to hilly states like Uttarakhand that needs to be promoted. The study also aims to help in developing suitable policy to lessen the impact of degradation of forests for fodder by developing fodder bank models in each village cluster of Uttarakhand.     

An investigation into the energy use in relation to yield of traditional crops in central Himalaya, India

Agrobiodiversity and agroecosystem management have changed in central Himalaya due to increasing emphasis on market economy and the motive ‘maximization of profit’. Such changes have benefited local people in economic terms, but at the same time increased their vulnerability to environmental and economic risks. The present study addressed the issue of how the ecological functions that are provided by agrobiodiversity translate into tangible benefits for the society. Important characteristics of agrodiversity management are the use of bullocks for draught power, human energy as labour, crop residues as animal feed and animal waste mixed with forest litter as organic input to restore soil fertility levels. The present analysis of resource input-output energy currency in traditional crop production indicated that inputs into different crop systems were significantly higher during kharif season compared to rabi season both under rainfed and irrigated conditions. The maximum input for crop during rabi season (second crop season) was about 31% of that of kharif season (first crop season after fallow) under rainfed conditions. Under irrigated conditions the rabi season input was about 63% of kharif season input. Under rainfed conditions, paddy sole cropping required maximum inputs (231.31 GJ/ha) as compared to mustard sole cropping (11.79 GJ/ha). The present investigation revealed that the total energy inputs and outputs are higher for irrigated agriculture as compared to rainfed system, the difference in inputs is about 5 fold and outputs is about 2 fold. The output-input ratio showed that irrigated systems have higher values as compared to rainfed systems.     

Comparative study of fuelwood consumption by villagers and seasonal “Dhaba owners” in the tourist affected regions of Garhwal Himalaya,India

The rural inhabitants of the Himalayan region have been exploiting forest resources for their livelihood for generations. The excessive and uncontrolled use of firewood for domestic purposes has ended up with severe deforestation. Therefore, quantification, assessment and restoration of such valuable but exhaustible resources and is imperative their scientific management. The estimates reflect that a total of 88 species are consumed as fuelwood (54 trees and 34 shrubs) by the local people. Fuelwood consumption by ‘dhaba’ (roadside refreshment establishments) owners (90–120 kg/household/day) was much higher over the common villagers (20–22 kg/household/day). The fuelwood is mainly burnt for cooking, water heating, space heating and lighting, etc. Among these, cooking consumes the fuelwood most. In addition, fuelwood demand increases due to influx of tourists. In the near future, this may also affect the status of the undisturbed forests at the middle elevation. The information in this communication could be utilized for developing various conservation and sustainable strategies in the region to mitigate the impact of forest resource for fodder and fuelwood.     

Fuel life cycle emissions for electricity consumption in the world’s gaming center-Macao SAR, China

The gaming and hospitality sector has been expanding rapidly in recent years. Concurrently energy consumption in this sector has surged significantly. This paper reviews the literature on the relationship between electricity consumption and economic growth and introduces the 4-parameter logistic functions to model the growth of electricity consumption and other related parameters in the world’s gaming center-Macao, China. The accuracy of the growth models were assessed by using the mean absolute percentage error and the root mean squared percentage error. The paper also introduces the application of life cycle analysis to greenhouse gases emissions for electricity consumption. As Macao in recent years has imported a significant amount of electricity from a coal-fired power plant in its nearby area - Zhuhai, the impact analysis included greenhouse gases emissions from the extraction, transportation, processing, and combustion along fuel life cycles in the local power plant as well as Zhuhai’s power plant. We found that the emissions associated with the imported electricity contributed greatly to total emissions.     

Household energy needs of a village in the Rayalaseema area of Andhra Pradesh, India

Energy shortages in rural areas have several far-reaching ill-consequences. The scarcity of fuelwood forces people to use animal dung and crop residue as fuel, reducing the soil fertility and productivity. Progressive deforestation adversely affects the environment. Women and children in villages walk long distances and spend more time in searching for fuel. For effective energy planning, it is necessary to understand the energy-use patterns of different categories of farmers in village ecosystems and the influence of income and family size on it. This paper reports such a study conducted in a village in the State of Andhra Pradesh in India where dryland agriculture is pursued. The household energy-use patterns observed in the village clearly show that most energy is utilized for basic survival tasks such as cooking, cleaning, fetching fuel, water and other necessities of life. Commercial energy, which accounts for 6.5% of the total energy consumption of households, is used exclusively for lighting. A number of measures have been suggested for enhancing the efficiency of energy use in rural household systems, which include the design and installation of a fuel-efficient improved chulha, with dampers, baffle and a grate in the combustion chamber, installation of family size biogas plants, planting of hardwood trees on field bunds, energy plantation on marginal and waste lands, utilization of solar photovoltaics for power generation, installation of windmills for lifting water, and briquetting and pelletization of groundnut shell, and farm and forest residues. A well-knit and coordinated infrastructure has to be developed for successful implementation of the above measures. Local skill and participation, especially of artisans and women, should be encouraged and should be supplemented by appropriate training and monitoring. An energy utilization system based on local resources can improve productivity and standards in all spheres of rural living.