Energy requirements for specific objectives Planners and policy makers need to be able to link energy requirements with specific objectives of agricultural and rural development, such as food security, agro-industry development, and sustainable farming practices. This requires data indicating the energy intensiveness of different farming techniques for important food and other crops. In this context, energy from biomass is an added benefit. Agro-industry could become the fastest growing sector, in terms of energy requirements, with the agricultural sector the next fastest growth sector. However, the energy implications of these techniques have yet to be systematically documented.
More research is needed to enable clear comparisons with well established high-input methods.
The design and implementation of almost all sustainable agriculture and rural development field activities will require some form and amount of energy input. In many cases, this energy input is not considered, leading to unsatisfactory solutions from both the environmental and energy efficiency standpoints. Methodological Issues 1. Coordinate agriculture, energy, electrification and rural development plans Most sectoral plans are carried out in isolation from other sectors. Integration is particularly important when developing policies and plans for energy in agriculture, due to the close interlinkages.