Actions to Develop and their Impact

Abstract

The analytical survey -mostly bibliographical- that has been presented leads to the following conclusions:

• The present direct energy consumptions (fuels and lubricants) for the EEC arable and permanent crop area are around 11–12 Mtoe/y, with an average specific value of 150 kgoe/ha.y.

• The consumptions can vary by a factor of 5–6 when referred to the specific cultures, to the production intensity, to the various pedoclimatic situations and to the socio-economic levels in the different countries. In other words, the variation range of the single consumptions goes from 60–70 kgoe/ha.y up to 400 kgoe/ha.y.

• In general, the field operations which contribute most to the global energy consumption are soil tillage + seed-bed preparation (about 40% of the total) and crop harvesting (30–35%).

• The energy savings which can be attained in the short-medium term depend on:

  • the development of the tractor and machine manufacturing industry, through the introduction of innovations that improve the present performances and/or by radical innovations that reduce energy requirements;

  • the farmers awareness of the availability of more appropriate machinery, suitable coupling tractor/implements and the optimisation of working schemes;

  • the field demonstrations and the dissemination of new techniques (with the same yields) with lower energy consumptions;

  • the necessity to adapt the farm structure (fields and equipments) to the optimization of the farming machines;

  • the development of jobbing utility enterprises.

• A global reduction of the present energy requirement by about 30%, that is 3–3.2 Mtoe/y, may be obtained in a few years through well directed and coordinated action. If the improvements already developed were applied, an energy saving of more than 40% could be attained. However it is not realistic to expect a concomitant improvement of both, the efficiency and the management of machines in all farming situations. Therefore, within the next 8–10 years, a consumption reduction of 3–3.2 Mtoe/y, must be considered as an important result.