| Abstract | Maize cropping being a highest yielding among cereal crops in the world has also a significant importance for Pakistan. Pakistan has a great exciting potential of maize production. While maize production mitigates food security, generate rural employment and income, it also adversely effects the environment by extensive resources depletion. The global demand of ecofriendly products is also increasing. Therefore, the assessment of resources depletion, energy consumption and environmental impact in an integrated manner, associated with maize production is inevitable. This research investigates the technoeconomic performances, energy use efficiency and environmental impacts corresponding with the maize production in specific context of different irrigation systems as possible varying factors to performances, efficiencies and impacts.
Maize crop production under four different irrigation methods were selected namely diesel operated furrow irrigation system (DF), electric powered furrow irrigation system (EF), diesel operated drip irrigation system (DD) and electric powered drip irrigation (ED). The primary data was collected through a structured questionnaire during the field survey from 85 farmers of core maize growing districts of Punjab, Pakistan. Techno-economic performance and energy use was computed and analyzed based on primary data while environmental impacts were assessed through an approach “Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)” using simapro software. Different indicators of techno-economic performances, energy use and environmental impacts were used, and their efficacies were estimated by Data Envelopment Analysis using MaxDEAPro.
The results highlight the significant variability among different maize production systems in Punjab. The performance of ED system is highest in techno-economic by less input variables consumption, efficient energy utilization and less environmental impacts. The BC ratios are 1.02, 1.11, 1.29 and 1.40 for DF, EF, DD and ED respectively. The mean values of technical efficiency are 0.95, 0.96, 0.99 and 0.99 while cost efficiency scores are 0.84, 0.85, 0.93, 0.99 for DF, EF, DD and ED respectively. Energy use efficiencies are 2.26, 2.36, 3.07 and 3.14 for DF, EF, DD and ED respectively. There is a significant difference in technical, cost, energy use efficiencies among all production systems. The energy saving of 44, 38, 29 and 29 % in DF, EF, DD and ED respectively was also observed in energy efficiency analysis. From environmental prospective, direct filed emissions from agrochemicals are largest environmental contributor. LCA results per kg of maize grain are Global Warming Potential (1.05-1.22 kg CO2 eq), Human Toxicity Potential (0.66-0.69 kg 1,4-DB eq), Fresh Water Aquatic ecotoxicity potential (0.36-0.38 kg 1,4-DB eq), Terrestrial Ecotoxicity Potential (0.0035-0.0055 kg 1,4-DB eq), Acidification Potential (0.0097-0.0134 kg SO2 eq) and Eutrophication Potential (0.0041-0.0158 kg PO4 eq). Significance difference were found among different production system except for ADP and FETP. The significantly different mean eco-efficiency score is 0.80, 0.87,0.88 and 0.89 for DF, EF, DD and ED respectively.
The findings of the study exhibited that sustainable maize production in the Punjab directs to an inexorable tradeoff as it proved impossible to attain high economic return, less energy use and with low environmental impacts under conventional farming practices. However, some policy recommendations have been formulated regarding significant reduction in input resources without compromising the yield and with less environmental impacts. |