Energy-Smart Farming

It has been estimated that around 15% of global agricultural production costs on-farm are energy-related. With heightened concerns around the sustainability of crop and livestock production, the agricultural sector must develop and invest in alternative methods of farming that recoup the same results but have a reduced environmental impact.

Energy-smart farming: Efficiency, renewable energy and sustainability reviews recent research undertaken on the ways of reducing the costs and environmental impact of on-farm energy use. The collection explores advances in improving energy efficiency on farms, renewable energy technologies such as agrivoltaics, biomass combustion, gasification and pyrolysis, as well as how more sustainable energy use can be delivered in practice in livestock production systems.

Edited by a leading expert in the field, Energy-smart farming: Efficiency, renewable energy and sustainability will be a standard reference for university and other researchers in renewable energy deployment and policies, environmental scientists, government and other agencies tackling the challenge of climate change, as well as farmers and representatives from food manufacturers and suppliers dedicated to reducing their carbon footprint.

Ralph E. H. Sims is Emeritus Professor of Sustainable Energy and Climate Mitigation at Massey University, New Zealand. In a distinguished career spanning 50 years, Professor Sims has also worked for the International Energy Agency, produced major reports on rural energy for the OECD, UNFCCC and UN FAO, been Director of the Centre for Energy Research at Massey University and contributed to five IPCC reports, including leading chapters on energy supply, transport and renewable energy integration.