Agricultural engineering
farm worker, engineer |
Agricultural engineering, also known as agricultural and biosystems engineering, is the field of study and application of engineering science and designs principles for agriculture purposes, combining the various disciplines of mechanical, civil, electrical, food science, environmental, software, and chemical engineering to improve the efficiency of farms and agribusiness enterprises[1] as well as to ensure sustainability of natural and renewable resources.[2]
An agricultural engineer is an engineer with an agriculture background. Agricultural engineers make the engineering designs and plans in an agricultural project, usually in partnership with an agriculturist who is more proficient in farming and agricultural science.
History
The first use of agricultural engineering was the introduction of
The earliest plough was the ard or scratch-plough.[4]
Settlers practiced irrigation in the vicinity of San Antonio in 1715, the Mormons practiced irrigation in Salt Lake Valley in 1847.[3]
With growing
The introduction of these engineering concepts into the field of agriculture allowed for an enormous boost in the productivity of crops, dubbed a "
- Shift from peasant subsistence-farming to cash-farming for the market
- Technical changes of crop rotations and livestock improvement
- Labour being replaced by machinery
In the 20th century, with the rise in reliable engines in airplanes,
In the late 20th century, genetically modified foods (GMOs) were created, giving another large boost to crop yields and resistance to pests.[7]
Sub-Disciplines
Agricultural engineering has many sub-disciplines, the most common of which are listed here:
Agricultural Machinery
Agricultural Structures
Agricultural Surveying
Aquaculture
Biomechanics & Ergonomics
Forestry Engineering
Irrigation
Land Development
Pesticides
Precision Agriculture
Soil Management
Roles of agricultural engineers
Agricultural engineers may perform tasks such as planning, supervising and managing the building of dairy effluent schemes,
Armenia
In 2006 Armenia's agricultural sector accounted for about 20 percent of the GDP. By 2010, it grew to about 25 percent.[8] This was and is higher than in Armenia's neighboring countries of Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran, in which the contribution of agriculture to the GDP in 2017 was 6.88, 5.63, 6.08 and 9.05 percent, respectively.[9]
Philippines
In the Philippines, the professional designation is registered agricultural and biosystems engineer. They are licensed and accredited after successfully passing the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Licensure Examination. A prospective agricultural and biosystems engineer is required to have a four-year Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering.
The practice of agricultural and biosystems engineering also includes the following:
- Consultation, valuation, investigation and management services on agricultural and biosystems engineering;
- Management or supervision and the preparation of engineering designs, plans, specifications, project studies and estimates for agricultural and biosystems, aquaculture and fishery, and forest product machinery, agricultural and biosystems buildings and structures, farm electrification and energy systems, agricultural and biosystems processing equipment, irrigation and soils conservation systems and facilities, agricultural and biosystems waste utilization systems and facilities;
- Conducting research and development, training and extension work, and consultancy services on agricultural and biosystems engineering facilities/services, system and technologies;
- Testing, evaluation and inspection of agricultural and biosystems, fishery and forest product machinery and other related agricultural and biosystems engineering facilities and equipment.
- Management, manufacturing and/or marketing of agricultural and biosystems machinery and other related agricultural and biosystems engineering facilities and equipment;
- Teaching, agricultural and biosystems engineering subjects in institution of learning in the Philippines;
- Employment with the government provided such item or position requires the knowledge and expertise of an agricultural and biosystems engineer.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom the term agricultural engineer is often also used to describe a person that repairs or modifies agricultural equipment.
United States
The American Society of Agricultural Engineers, now known as the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), was founded in 1907.[10] It is a leading organization in the agricultural engineering field. The ASABE provides safety and regulatory standards for the agricultural industry. These standards and regulations are developed on an international scale for fertilizers, soil conditions, fisheries, biofuels, biogas, feed machinery, tractors, and machinery.[1]
See also
Agriculture and Agronomy portal
Engineering portal
- Agricultural education
- Agricultural science
- Agronomy
- Bioresource engineering
- Biosystems engineering
- Copper alloys in aquaculture
- Industrial agriculture
- Institution of Agricultural Engineers
- List of agricultural machinery
- Mechanized agriculture
- Water softening
References
- ^ a b "ASABE". asabe.org. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
- ^ "Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering | Professional Regulation Commission". prc.gov.ph. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
- ^ a b c d Davidson J.B. 1913. Agricultural engineering, Webb Publishing
- ^ Andersen, T.B., Jensen, P.S., Skovsgaard C.S., 2016. The Heavy Plough and the Agricultural Revolution in Medieval Europe. Journal of Development Economics
- ^ a b c H. Klaus, Milestones in the history of agricultural engineering, The world of agricultural engineering 2011
- ^ F. M. L. Thompson (1968), The Second Agricultural Revolution, 1815-1880, The Economic History Review, Wiley
- ^ "ASABE 100 years of innovation" (PDF). ASABE.
- RFE/RL), August 8, 2006.
- ^ "GDP share of agriculture by country, around the world".
- ^ "ASABE website". Archived from the original on 14 May 2009. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
Further reading
- Brown, R.H. (ed). (1988). CRC handbook of engineering in agriculture. Boca Raton, FL.: CRC Press. ISBN 0-8493-3860-3.
- Field, H. L., Solie, J. B., & Roth, L. O. (2007). Introduction to agricultural engineering technology: a problem solving approach. New York: Springer. ISBN 0-387-36913-9.
- Stewart, Robert E. (1979). Seven decades that changed America: a history of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, 1907-1977. St. Joseph, Mich.: ASAE. OCLC 5947727.
- DeForest, S. S. (2007). The vision that cut drugery from farming forever. St. Joseph, Mich.: ASAE. ISBN 1-892769-61-1.
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