A comparison of energy use in organic and conventional agriculture in Spain

The current situation of worldwide concern over the emission of greenhouse gases and its effect on the climate demands an evaluation, from the perspective of energy efficiency and more specifically of non-renewable energy sources, of tendencies for change in the management of agricultural systems that have arisen in recent years. This article uses energy balances to evaluate the contribution of organic agriculture to the increase in the energy efficiency of Spanish agriculture. The results show the higher nonrenewable energy efficiency (NREE) and the lower use of nonrenewable energy (NRE) in organic systems compared with conventional ones. Nevertheless, agricultural systems in general could still improve their energy efficiency