An organic farm should ideally rely as less as possible on grid electricity and fossil fuel for its energy needs. Some easily-implemented options for any farm in terms of alternate and / or renewable energy use are :
- Animal labour, bearing in mind welfare and humane issues, including equipment used, weight of load, number of hours of work and rest, sufficient food and water, etc.
- Solar energy for water lifting / pumping, lighting. water heating, cooking
- Biogas for cooking, lighting, electricity generation
- Wind power for water pumping
- Smokeless chulhas / stoves fired using dead wood
- Biomass gasification using surplus, non-compostable biomass, whether directly or by first converting to pellets
- Biofuels (commonly referred to as biodiesels) : Neem oil and pongamia / karanj oil, otherwise useful for their pesticidal properties, can be used as a part or full substitute for diesel, as can castor and jatropha oil.