Energy use pattern analysis of rockmelon (Cucumis melo) production in Malaysia: a case study
Preservation of energy resources for crop production is a crucial act in an endeavour to make agriculture more sustainable. In response to that matter, this study aims to analyse and evaluate energy use pattern and its economic in rockmelon (Cucumis melo) production in Malaysian farms. Face-to-face interviews with the sampled farmers were employed to collect the data through a case study in Klang district, Selangor state of Malaysia. The collected data was then analysed using mathematical operations and spreadsheet software. The results indicated that the total energy inputs in rockmelon were 4475.62 MJ/ha. The highest portion, which accounted for 73.29% of the total energy inputs were consumed by fertilizers, while the lowest portion was used for seed (0.01%). The total energy inputs were formed from 85.12% indirect energy and 14.88% direct energy; and 85% non-renewable energy and 15% renewable energy. The net energy and energy productivity values were 11332.85 MJ/ha and 2.81 kg/MJ, respectively. The farmers gained 29.94% profit margin from their farms business. The ratio of energy output -inputs in rockmelon production was 5.34. As the ratio was much greater than 1, thus, conclusively, the energy inputs used by the farmers in the process of rockmelon production was highly efficient.