Comparison of Manual and Manual-cum-Mechanical Energy Uses in Groundnut Production in a Semi-arid Environment

Abstract

A study was conducted to evaluate and compare the inputs of manual energy only and manual-cum-mechanical energy in the production of groundnuts (Arachis hypogaea) in a semi arid region of Nigeria. Two groups of randomly selected farms were considered, each consisting of five small-scale farms. One group was made of farms on which only manual energy was used (FME) in the production process. The second group, denoted as FMME, had both manual and mechanical energy inputs. To evaluate the energies invested, the following constants were used: (i) Manual energy of an adult male – 0.75 MJh-1 (10 % less for a female adult); (ii) diesel fuel energy value – 47.78 MJL-1, (iii) energy for manufacture, transport and repair (MTR) of machinery – 100.7 MJkg-1. Results show that the maximum, minimum and mean energy inputs for the FME group were 1271.1, 617.5 and 1047.8 MJha-1 respectively. For the FMME category, the corresponding values were 2899.1, 1396.1 and 2285 MJha-1 respectively. The two groups of farms were comparable in two respects. In both, land clearing had the least