Author(s): S. K. ACHARYA, S. BERA AND G. AHMAD

Abstract: Energy is the driving force in the ecology which changes its forms while transferring from one trophic level to another and from one component of ecosystem to another component i.e. in between animate and inmate forms of life. While transferring from one component of ecosystem there is loss of some energy which is termed as entropy in thermodynamics. Keeping this energy and the energy losses in view the present study “Estimation of Farm Energy Balances of Small Farm Management: A Socio-ecological and Techno-managerial Analysis” has been selected to study the energy balances i.e., consumption and production in crop enterprises as well as in households and its overall impact on social, economic, ecological spheres of ecosystem. Crop Energy Balance (y) is defined as the difference between the energy equivalents of feed taken by the cattle and the energy equivalents of the output from cattle in the form of dung and milk per day per cattle. The variable Crop Energy Balance (y) is the dependent variable being predicted by a set of 14 independent variables. Study was conducted at Saharpara village of Haringhata,in district Nadia of West Bengal. The respondents have been 50 by count and have been selected through both the purposive and random sampling approaches to ultimately derive and elicit their behavioural traits in the energy balances of social, economic, physical and ecological setup. The results show that following new factors, Farm Economy Index, Personal Capacity, Family Resources, Family Motivation have led to consciousness about the energy balances in social ecology and impact of these energy balances on the ecosystem as whole. The Multiple correlation results show Age (X1) has positive significant correlation with Crop Energy Balance (y) whereas the variables Education (X2), Homstead Land Size (X9) and Age (X1) have had significant impact on the predictant y. All these analytical outcomes can be replicated to other enterprises as well to calculate energy balances. A comparative study can be adopted to conclude whether agriculture or fishery or cattle or poultry enterprises can be comparable with each other or all these enterprises can well be complemented to develop a complex model for energy management, so as to attain a balanced energy consumption pattern.

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