# Energy in farming

Irrigation pumps, fertiliser and draught power: how energy grows food.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_agri_energy/

Conversion and use · Industry, buildings and farms · No. 120

- Conversion and use
 Conversion and use · Industry, buildings and farms · Foundation · Energy

India's 20 million farm pump sets drink about 18% of the nation's electricity, and most waste three-quarters of it.

Chart: Illustration: Energy in farming

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Farming is a solar business: crops turn sunlight into food, and farmers add diesel, electricity and the natural gas locked inside fertiliser to boost yields. Just under 70% of world ammonia becomes fertiliser.

##### Three things to know

1. Crops can capture at most about 4.6% (wheat, rice) or 6% (maize, sugarcane) of sunlight as food energy.
2. On average only about 7% of feed calories become food: beef about 3%, poultry 13%, eggs and dairy 17%.
3. Diesel supplies 74% of the energy used for irrigation pumping worldwide, mostly where grids are absent.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Sun and fuel**Sunlight, diesel, grid power, natural gas
2. 2 **Fertiliser**Gas becomes ammonia, then urea
3. 3 **Pumps, tractors**Lift water, plough, sow and harvest
4. 4 **Photosynthesis**Crops store a few per cent of sunlight
5. 5 **Food**Grain, milk, meat and eggs
 Covered in [Muscles, wood, water and wind: energy before fossil fuelsEnergy](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/energy/energy-before-fossil-fuels/)

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## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_agri_energy/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_agri_energy/correlation/index.md)
- [Science and limits](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_agri_energy/science/index.md)
- [Value chain](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_agri_energy/valuechain/index.md)
- [Unit economics](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_agri_energy/economics/index.md)
- [Engineering methods](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_agri_energy/methods/index.md)
- [Equipment and suppliers](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_agri_energy/equipment/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_agri_energy/links/index.md)