Energy and agriculture in developing countries

The author explains trends in energy use in agriculture in developing countries at the global, national and farm level. It is shown that energy input in traditional agriculture is quite significant if the role of animals is taken into account. The author explains how currently agriculture makes a net energy contribution towards meeting the basic needs of cooking, heating and local industry, and with the modernization of agriculture, the availability of crop residues and animal wastes is expected to decline, widening the gap between demand and supply of energy for the survival needs of the poor in developing countries. The author states that there is an immediate need to initiate policies and programmes — such as energy pricing, subsidies, biogas plants and gasification units — to improve the efficiency of agro-energy.