Nautiyal Sunil, Kaechele Harald, Umesh Babu M S, Tikhile Pavan, Baksi Sangeeta
Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, 560 072, India.
Institute of Socioeconomics, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, Eberswalder Str. 84, 15374, Muencheberg, Germany.
Environ Monit Assess. 2017 Apr;189(4):168. doi: 10.1007/s10661-017-5819-4. Epub 2017 Mar 17.
This study was carried out to understand the ecological and economic sustainability of floriculture and other main crops in Indian agro-ecosystems. The cultivation practices of four major flower crops, namely Jasminum multiflorum, Crossandra infundibuliformis, Chrysanthemum and Tagetes erecta, were studied in detail. The production cost of flowers in terms of energy was calculated to be 99,622-135,996 compared to 27,681-69,133 MJ ha for the main crops, namely Oryza sativa, Eleusine coracana, Zea mays and Sorghum bicolor. The highest-energy input amongst the crops was recorded for Z. mays (69,133 MJ ha) as this is a resource-demanding crop. However, flower cultivation requires approximately twice the energy required for the cultivation of Z. mays. In terms of both energy and monetary inputs, flower cultivation needs two to three times the requirements of the main crops cultivated in the region. The monetary inputs for main crop cultivation were calculated to be ₹ 27,349 to ₹ 46,930 as compared to flower crops (₹ 62,540 to ₹ 144,355). Floriculture was found to be more efficient in monetary terms when compared to the main crops cultivated in the region. However, the energy efficiency of flower crops is lower than that of the main crops, and the energy output from flower cultivation was found to be declining in tropical agro-ecosystems in India. Amongst the various inputs, farmyard manure accounts for the highest proportion, and for its preparation, most of the raw material comes from the surrounding ecosystems. Thus, flower cultivation has a direct impact on the ecosystem resource flow. Therefore, keeping the economic and environmental sustainability in view, this study indicates that a more field-based research is required to frame appropriate policies for flower cultivation to achieve sustainable socio-ecological development.
本研究旨在了解印度农业生态系统中花卉种植及其他主要作物的生态和经济可持续性。详细研究了四种主要花卉作物，即多花素馨、漏斗菜、菊花和万寿菊的种植实践。按能源计算，花卉生产成本为99,622 - 135,996，而主要作物，即水稻、龙爪稷、玉米和高粱的生产成本为27,681 - 69,133兆焦/公顷。玉米（69,133兆焦/公顷）的能源投入最高，因为它是一种资源需求大的作物。然而，花卉种植所需的能量约为玉米种植所需能量的两倍。在能源和货币投入方面，花卉种植所需是该地区主要作物种植需求的两到三倍。主要作物种植的货币投入计算为27,349卢比至46,930卢比，而花卉作物为62,540卢比至144,355卢比。与该地区种植的主要作物相比，花卉种植在货币方面效率更高。然而，花卉作物的能源效率低于主要作物，并且在印度热带农业生态系统中，花卉种植的能量产出呈下降趋势。在各种投入中，农家肥占比最高，其制备的大部分原材料来自周边生态系统。因此，花卉种植对生态系统资源流动有直接影响。因此，考虑到经济和环境的可持续性，本研究表明需要开展更多基于实地的研究，以制定适当的花卉种植政策，实现可持续的社会生态发展。
