How can agricultural engineering contribute?
Engineering invariably provides both the means for change and the application of other technologies. It enables power to be applied raising both capacity and capability, enables repetitive or hazardous tasks to be sustained, facilitates the acquisition of information that supports better decisions, and achieves precision and control to minimise waste and pollution. When applied in an informed manner these can improve efficiency, conserve resource, maintain quality and make core resources available to other users. But power can be abused either wilfully or inadvertently. Fragile soils can be further destabilised leading to soil loss and water pollution by use of the wrong cultivation systems, habitats can be decimated beyond recovery through deforestation and the wholesale removal of hedgerows for example, and some rare species rich meadows, in the uplands have been ‘sanitised’ through the use of the now ubiquitous, big bale silage. Keeping soil productive Maintaining a sound structure
