By Muhammad Mudassar ISLAMABAD, Jan. 20 (INP-WealthPK): Growing demand for food and unstable prices of energy products have led to search for cheap and sustainable sources of energy. Energy is one of the major input costs that a farmer bears. Energy provision affects production and livelihoods, especially with the advance of mechanization in agriculture. Huge amounts of oil and gas are used as input and energy in the production of fertilisers and pesticides, and readily available energy at all stages of food production: from planting, irrigation, feeding, and harvesting, to processing, distribution, and packaging. According to the Energy Year Book 2019, the agriculture sector has consumed 814,519 tons of oil equivalent (TOE) which is approximately 1.48% of total energy (54.9 MTOE) by using both oil and electricity. According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), around 9% of electricity was used by the agriculture sector in FY20-21. The agricultural sector provides the majority of employment in Pakistan, especially among the poorest segments of the population. A huge portion of the energy is used in the form of oil, diesel, or electricity. Most farm machines are driven by fossil fuels, which contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and, in turn, accelerate climate change. According to USAID, Pakistan’s agricultural sector contributes around 41 percent to GHG emissions. Such environmental damage can be mitigated by the promotion of renewable resources such as solar, wind, biomass, tidal, geothermal, small-scale hydro, and biofuels. These renewable resources have a huge potential for the agricultural industry. According to the Pakistan Journal of Agriculture Research seen by WealthPK, only 0.2% of total available renewable energy is used, whereas 99.8% of non-renewable energy is used in agricultural practices e.g. for the production of fertilizers (38.5%), water pumping (5.1%), and farm machinery (56.2%). According to Assistant Professor Khurram Mubeen with the Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture, Multan, almost 56 million acres of land is irrigated through groundwater. He said in a statement that solar tube wells have been installed in some parts of the country to extract groundwater. Due to poor groundwater quality, agricultural land becomes unfit for cultivation, so there is a need to shift towards solar or other renewable energy sources in the agricultural sector but also a need to consider the issues that arise due to solar energy. In many areas of Pakistan, people have installed solar tube wells to extract groundwater, but the land is degraded due to poor water quality. A large area of Pakistan is irrigated through the Rod Kohi system. Under Rod Kohi, a large amount of water is wasted due to lack of storage facilities. Pakistan could fulfill its water needs by improving storage facilities, Khurram Mubeen added. The farmers should be encouraged with subsidies to use renewable energy technology, but in a sustainable way. According to WealthPK, the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (NEECA) is running different projects to improve energy efficiency in agricultural sector. According to NEECA, by eliminating inefficiencies in the tube wells, 0.3 million tons of high-speed diesel, and 1,500 GWh of electricity (worth more than Rs1.5 billion) can be saved yearly. Agriculture is one sector that involves the rural and remote communities of the country. So, it is a challenging task to raise the awareness of the efficient use of energy. The government should directly communicate with farmers in every important step. Quality equipment must also be used in tube wells to increase efficiency.