MECHANIZATION OF RICE (ORYZA SATIVA L) PRODUCTION AND STUDY ON THE ENERGY USE EFFICIENCY: THE CASE OF FOGERA WOREDA, SOUTH GONDAR ZONE, AMHARA, ETHIO-PIA

Abstract

Fogera is one of the woredas in the South Gonder Zone and known for its high production of rice. The research aims to assess the status of mechanization, identify various energy forms utilized in rice production, estimate key energy indices, and conduct an economic analysis. Data were collected from 258 respondents through interviews with farmers, and the Woreda Bureau of Agriculture, focusing on energy inputs and cost related to cultiva-tion. Farms were selected based on a random sampling method. The results revealed that the level of mechanization in the study area was 0.08 KW/ha, and 288 tractors would be needed. The specific consumption in rice production was 13,600.65 MJ/ha, and production manual energy accounted for the highest energy input (33.00%), followed by animal ener-gy (24.00%) and biological energy (18.00%). The output/input energy ratio was 6.05 and energy productivity was 0.32 kg/MJ. The highest among cost items was labor. Energy indi-ces, including energy input-output ratio, energy productivity, and specific energy, were calculated to evaluate performance. In general, farmers were highly dependent on manual and oxen power for rice production compared to mechanical. Encourage women in farm-ing, promote affordable mechanization technologies, improve access to machinery through loans and hire services, advocate for energy-efficient practices, and conduct field tests for improvement, and promote cluster farming among smallholders