Energy input–output analysis and greenhouse gas emission in okra and tomato production in Chotanagpur plateau region of India.

The information on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and energy use patterns from vegetable production in the Chotanagpur plateau region of Jharkhand state is minimal. The current study analyzed the energy input–output and GHG emission and their relationship with the productivity of two critical vegetables grown in the region, viz. summer season okra and tomato. In this regard, data were collected from 30 vegetable farmers of the region in a pretested questionnaire through personal interviews. The results show that the overall energy input used in the okra production was 8828.71 MJ ha⁻¹ of which human energy (27.62%), petrol (27.31%), farmyard manure (13.59%), and animal energy (13.22%) contributed the primary inputs. The total energy required for tomato production was 4798.66 MJ ha⁻¹, where petrol (25.13%) contributed the highest, followed by fertilizer (16.94%), diesel (14.67%), electricity (12.06%), farmyard manure (12.03%), and human energy (11.65%), respectively. The energy ratio (energy output to energy input) for okra and tomato was estimated at 2.85 and 7.58, respectively. The benefit cost ratios for tomato and okra production were 7.87 and 1.71, respectively, showing that the cultivation of both the vegetables is remunerative in the region, with tomato being more remunerative than okra. The total GHG emission was 875.41 and 322.75 kg CO₂eq ha⁻¹ for okra and tomato, respectively. The economical use of inputs could help reduce GHG emissions in vegetable production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]