ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN ARABLE FARMS - A COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

Five arable farms in the semiarid region of Austria were analysed in regards to their energy input (direct: fuel; indirect: fertilizer, pesticide and seed) and energy output (heat value of the harvested crops). The main energy inputs considered in this case were fertilizer and fuel respectively and the total energy input of these factors ranges between 8.5 and 12.2 GJ/ha. The total energy input determines, other than the site specific factors (soil and climate) in the area, the productivity of the cropping system itself. The energetic output of the analysed farms varied between 86.0 and 119.1 GJ/ha which also represents the photosynthetic storage of solar energy. The net energy balance expressed as Energy Output (EO) -Energy Input (EI) is between 76.1 and 121.0 GJ/ha. The direct energy input via fuel for arable farms is a significant expense factor. The shift from soil tillage systems with plough application to conservation tillage systems causes a significant decrease in the fuel consumption and the total work time required in this sector. In addition to the economic benefits (fuel and work time saving) gained from this trend, a better soil structure with higher soil water storage capacity could be observed in conservation tillage systems in semi-arid regions.