Analysis of economic and energy indicators in the production of greenhouse products in Zanjan province

Dissertation for receiving a master's degree (M.Sc.) in agricultural mechanization

Abstract

Greenhouse cultivation is a growing industry in many countries. But due to off-season production, greenhouses have high energy consumption. The purpose of this research is to analyze the economic and energy production of greenhouse products and to investigate the effect of the product, the type of crop and the area under cultivation in the greenhouse on the energy consumption in Zanjan province. The products were investigated in three types of strawberry, cucumber and tomato and the type of cultivation in two levels of soil and hydroponic cultivation. In order to conduct this research, questionnaires were drawn up and randomly distributed among the greenhouse farmers of the region. The method of filling the questionnaires was as a person-to-person question. Based on the results obtained from questionnaires and analysis of graphs, the largest share of energy consumption in all three types of products (strawberries, cucumbers and tomatoes) with each cultivated area and type of cultivation is related to fuel energy, electricity and fertilizer. In strawberry cultivation, fuel energy is 37%, electricity is 27% and fertilizer energy is 21%. In cucumber cultivation, fuel energy is 37%, electricity is 26% and fertilizer energy is 19%, and finally fuel energy, electricity and fertilizer in tomato cultivation were 33%, 27% and 20%, respectively. The results of the research showed that the land area in hydroponic greenhouses did not show a significant difference. While the type of product had a significant difference at the five percent level.

Key words: soil cultivation, hydroponic cultivation, fuel energy, electricity energy and fertilizer energy

1-1- Introduction

Agriculture sector is one of the most important energy consuming sectors. It is in Iran. Among the different agricultural sectors, the highest energy consumption per unit area is allocated to the greenhouse industry, which is developing (Ahmadi and Banakar, 2019). In addition to technical analysis, economic, energy, and environmental analyzes are important necessities in the review of agricultural projects. For the first time, energy analysis in agriculture started seriously in the 1970s due to the sharp increase in the price of oil derivatives (Ju et al., 2006)). For the production of agricultural products that are needed by humans in terms of food and industry, significant amounts of energy, including human and animal labor, chemical and fossil, are consumed, therefore the role of energy in the development and efficiency of agriculture is very important. The energy required to carry out agricultural operations is provided from different sources. The main factors of increasing energy consumption in the agricultural sector include population growth, labor migration from rural to urban areas, limited arable land, cheap fuel and fertilizer, development of new production techniques, and increasing living standards and expectations of farmers. On the other hand, considering the energy crisis and the emission of greenhouse gases (due to the excessive consumption of fossil fuels), which has many risks for the environment and humans, all efforts are made to reduce energy consumption, especially fossil fuels, as much as possible and even maximize the efficiency of fossil fuel consumption. Therefore, one of the main goals of agricultural mechanization is to optimize the use of motor power in planting, growing and harvesting agricultural products with regard to the efficiency of energy consumption (Kochaki, 1368).

     Evaluation of different energy flows involved in agricultural production forms the basis of energy analysis. One of the goals of energy analysis is to reduce energy inputs and replace renewable energy sources in the agricultural process, and as much as possible to reduce production costs and nature-friendly production methods as part of an optimal management system. Modern management through precision agriculture makes it possible to save energy by using the right amount of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides according to local conditions, minimizing car traffic and using machines with the right size and acceptable fuel consumption, performing operations at the optimal time, using technologies with low energy requirements such as high yield seeds and basically any method that increases production or reduces energy consumption (Almasi et al., 2010).

Cultivation of agricultural products in the greenhouse does not have a long history and started in Iran almost half a century ago. However, greenhouse cultivation, which has grown significantly in recent years, has a high energy consumption due to the nature of off-season production. During this period, there has not been much development in the field of controlling environmental factors in Iran, and the special equipment for this field was not only not made inside the country, but due to the lack of familiarity of greenhouse owners with this equipment, it was not imported from foreign countries either. For this reason, the efficiency and performance per unit area of ??greenhouses in Iran is much lower than in foreign countries. According to the above, increasing the efficiency of energy consumption in greenhouse cultivation is one of the most important parts of energy studies in agriculture, and any success in the field of increasing the efficiency of energy used in greenhouse production can lead to the optimal use of valuable energy resources. The producers of greenhouse products mainly have many problems in the optimal use of energy consumed in greenhouses, and the removal of subsidies for energy carriers has doubled their economic problems. In addition to increasing the cost of production, the removal of energy subsidies also indirectly increases the cost of transporting products and agricultural inputs. The use of outdated heating systems with very low efficiency, disproportionate and inhomogeneous distribution of heat produced in the greenhouse space, and waste of heat energy in various ways are the main problems of greenhouse owners. The amount of energy wastage in Iran's greenhouses has not been scientifically investigated, and according to the growing trend of the development of this industry, scientific research and investigations are necessary and unavoidable in order to increase the efficiency and reduce the wastage of consumed energy (Ahmadi, 2011). Accepting the message in the target groups (addressees) and sensitizing the working environment and activities and helping the greenhouse owners to achieve the goal of energy optimization. Considering the existing issues and problems of the country's energy sector, the only unique and principled solution is to improve productivity in various fields of the energy sector (Emami Meybodi, 1379, Ghaje Bey, 1388).

Attention to the ever-increasing price of energy of all kinds, as well as the environmental effects of the use of energy carriers, raises the need for optimal efficiency of this important input. In Iran's greenhouses, diesel is mostly used as an energy source in an undesirable way (for example, if the heater is damaged or old, the amount of energy produced is less than the fuel consumed). Diesel fuel consumption for crops such as vegetables and summer is usually a little more than greenhouses where flowers are grown, in subtropical areas 20 to 25 thousand liters of fuel are needed only for 1000 square meters of greenhouse in one year and for cold places 30000 liters are needed for the same amount. In order to use this fuel optimally, it is necessary to carry out studies and measures (Yelinjad, 1376).

In hydroponic cultivation, any plant can be grown, but it is ideal for resistant crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, leafy plants such as lettuce, vegetables, and plants that grow quickly. In this way, the consumption of poisons and chemical fertilizers and water consumption is reduced, and there is no mention of the consumption of urban and industrial waste water and the contamination of heavy metals and microbes. Also, there will be no traces of flies and mosquitoes in potted soil or stink (Tolaei, 1380).

Since the cost of building greenhouses is relatively high, considering the high investment in this field, solutions should be provided so that growing crops in greenhouses is affordable. In this research, the amount of energy consumption and economic indicators and the costs related to construction and initial investment will be evaluated and will be used in the optimization of the production process of greenhouse products in the region. The products produced in the greenhouses of Zanjan province are mainly cucumbers, tomatoes and strawberries, which besides being vulnerable to winter cold, due to the cold climate of the region, they are less competitive than tropical regions, so there is a need to examine the energy and economic consumption of greenhouse productions in this region.