Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Mohammad Nasiri ¹
• Mohammad Gahderijani ²
• Babak Beheshti ³

¹ Ph. D. Student, Department of Agricultural Intelligent Systems Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

² Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Intelligent Systems Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

³ Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Intelligent Systems Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The technical development of rice mechanization in the northern provinces of Iran has accelerated in recent years, encompassing an expansion in mechanization levels, the increased adoption of transplanting and harvesting machinery, and the ongoing renewal of the agricultural machinery fleet. However, the precise impact of these advancements on energy demand, particularly under varying technical and managerial conditions, remains insufficiently explored. This study investigates the influence of technical mechanization development on energy demand, while also examining the moderating roles of energy efficiency, energy carrier prices, and fleet technology levels. Data spanning from 2013 to 2023 were collected from the three primary rice-producing provinces: Guilan, Mazandaran, and Golestan. For energy indicator calculations, locally-adapted energy equivalent coefficients specific to Iran's conditions were employed, derived from validated domestic studies (Alam et al., 2023; Zahedi et al., 2015). Energy efficiency was assessed using the DEA-BCC model, and the dynamic relationships were estimated through a System-GMM panel data approach. The findings reveal that the average pure technical efficiency was highest in Golestan (0.92), followed by Mazandaran (0.85) and Guilan (0.81). Moreover, the highest and lowest total energy inputs were recorded in Golestan (77,685 MJ ha⁻¹) and Guilan (34,188 MJ ha⁻¹), respectively. The System-GMM estimates indicate a non-linear, U-shaped relationship between the mechanization level and energy intensity. In Golestan, increasing mechanization up to a threshold of 3.6 hp ha⁻¹ led to a reduction in energy intensity, whereas in Guilan, the effect was non-uniform: decreasing at lower levels but increasing at higher levels due to the lower adoption of modern technologies and greater land fragmentation (P < 0.05). The price elasticity of energy demand was estimated to be higher in Guilan (0.13) than in Golestan (0.08). Among the factors examined, energy efficiency emerged as the most significant contributor to reducing energy intensity across all three provinces. The results underscore that the effect of technical mechanization development on energy demand is contingent upon regional conditions, fleet technology levels, operational structures, and managerial efficiency. Consequently, rice mechanization development policies should be tailored to the specific technical and structural characteristics of each province.

Keywords

• Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)
• Energy Efficiency
• Fleet Technology
• System-GMM