What is Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering?

Hi everyone, I've been busy lately at home that's why I wasn't active for almost two days. So tonight (7:24 pm Ph Time), I, @ladyhanabi will give you an insight to what is ABE and what it offers.

Let's first Define the ff. Terms 

1. Bachelor is a person who is entitled of a degree from a college, university, or professional school usually after four years of study (Merriam Dictionary) 

2. Science  is aknowledge or a system of knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through scientific method such knowledge or such a system of knowledge concerned with the physical world and its phenomena: NATURAL SCIENCE a system or method reconciling practical ends with scientific laws cooking is both ascience and an art (Meriam Webster) 

3. Agriculture/Agricultural is the science, art, or practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock and in varying degrees the preparation and marketing of the resulting products cleared the land to use it for agriculture of or relating to agriculture  

4. Biosystems is a living organism or a system of living organisms that can directly or indirectly interact with others. (Dictionary.Com)

5. Engineering is the application of science and mathematics by which the properties of matter and the sources of energy in nature are made useful to people (Merriam Dictionary)

THE SCOPE OF PRACTICE AND THE DESCRIPTION OF AGRICULTURAL AND BIOSYSTEM ENGINEERING SPECIALIZATIONS

Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABE) is defined as a field of engineering which integrates engineering science and designs with applied agricultural, biological, and environmental sciences. It represents an evolution of the Agricultural Engineering discipline applied to all living organisms and addresses areas such as food safety and security, biodiversity, new and renewable energy, ecosystems protection, climate change mitigation, and human health and safety. The traditional areas of Agricultural Engineering are still very much covered.

Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering Specializations

1. Agricultural and Biosystems Power and Machinery

 It refers to farm power and machinery for the production, harvesting, processing, storage, manufacture, preserving, transporting and distribution of agricultural and biological products/materials and includes, but is not limited to, tractors and their attachments, power tillers, seeders, trans planters, windmills, harvesting machines, crop protection and maintenance equipment, irrigation equipment and accessories, greenhouses and other thermal conditioning equipment, livestock, poultry, fishery and forest equipment, slaughtering equipment, meat/fishery and crop processing equipment, post-harvest machines such as milling machines, dryers, threshers, grain and other strippers, agricultural transport machinery and storage.

The field of Farm Power and Machinery involves the application of mechanical, physical, biological and electronic principles to the solution of real-life problems or issues in crop/fruit/vegetable production and processing. It includes the study of theories of soil failure, traction, compaction, and floatation on agricultural soils; dynamics of seeding and transplanting, soil-seed and seedling–machine interactions; principles of digital and analogue measurements and control of temperature, humidity, strain, moisture content, pressure and fluid flow in engineering process; methods of testing and inspection of engineering materials, strain measurement, brittle-coating, and related instrumentation;  and design of energy systems using conventional, non-conventional, renewable and other alternative power sources.

It mainly focuses on Machine Design and Development, Renewable Energy, Machine Vision and Robotic, Agricultural Ergonomics, and Tillage Systems. 

1. Irrigation and Drainage Engineering

The primary objective of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering is to understand soil, water and plant relationships and how they can be applied to better manage natural resources in the production of food and fiber. ABEs are encouraged to appreciate environmental and ecological effects of irrigated agriculture.  Irrigation and Drainage Engineering covers all phases of irrigation, drainage engineering, hydrology and related water management subjects such as watershed management, weather modification, water quality, groundwater and surface water.

1. Soil and Water Conservation Engineering

It deals with the engineering principles involved in soil and water conservation. It includes the classification of the water erosion, and the agronomical and engineering measures adopted for erosion control. The design of bunds and terraces are dealt in detail, followed by gully control measures. The wind erosion and measures to control it, e.g., the windbreaks and shelterbelt, are also included. Many examples and problems are included to emphasize the design principles and to facilitate an understanding of the subject matter. Computer models will be described where applicable.

1. Agricultural and Biosystems Buildings and Structures

It is applied to structural designs of farm or small buildings and environment and ancillary designs of roads, and water supplies required for farm building operations as well as in local environments.

It refer to buildings and structures for the production, harvesting, processing, storage, manufacture, preserving, transporting and distribution of agricultural and biological products/materials and includes, but is not limited to, silos and its components, agricultural and biosystems machinery and equipment sheds, farm houses, green/screen houses, poultry houses, piggery houses, slaughterhouses, farm-to-market roads, farm bridges, agricultural and biological products storage/warehouse, buildings and structures for poultry, livestock, fishery, and forestry production and processing, kiln drying and lumber treatment structure, farm equipment, farm supplies, and other structures such as self-feeders, and soil and water conservation structures.

1. Agricultural and Bio-process Engineering

Bioprocess Engineering deals with the methods used to prepare biological materials for commercial use. It is a hybrid of Chenical andAgricultural Engineering, with focus on the use of bio-technologies. Bioprocess Engineering specifically focuses on processes involving living organisms, as opposed toBiological Engineering which includes everything related to biology.

1. Food Engineering

It is a specialized sub field within AgEng and is focused on the application of Engineering to the production and distribution of food. It is the application of engineering principles to the storage, processing and distribution of food materials and their bio-products. It requires a sound engineering education, as well as fundamental training in chemistry and food science.

1. Renewable/Bio-Energy and Farm Electrification

is renewable energy made available from materials derived from biological sources. Biomass is any organic material which has stored sunlight in the form of chemical energy. As a fuel it may include wood, wood waste, straw, manure and many other by-products from a variety of agricultural processes.

1. Agricultural and Biological Waste Management

An agricultural waste management system (AWMS) is a planned system in which all necessary components are installed and managed to control and use by-products of agricultural production in a manner that sustains or enhances the quality of air, water, soil, plant, animal, and energy resources.

1. Aquacultural Engineering

 is concerned with the design and development of effective aquacultural systems for marine and freshwater facilities and specializes pond design and pond construction, and other land-based projects, aquaculture for recirculating aquaculture projects and indoor fish farming systems, marine for offshore aquaculture projects, and expertise for aquaculture feed mills, farm-raised fish processing plants, and farm-raised shrimp processing plants.  

1. Forest Engineering

Forest engineering is the application of engineering principles and techniques to the management of forest lands. This includes working to ensure the health and sustainability of wildlands, timberlands and watersheds while allowing for such economic activities as timber harvesting and recreational use.

1. Agricultural and Biosystems Automation and Instrumentation

It refers to the use and application of  agricultural and biosystems sensors such as, but is not limited to, computer models for control and automation in the agricultural and fishery production industry and the biological systems and likewise, robotics for farm operation when use of machines are difficult or impossible, agricultural and biosystems machine design and automated controls, precision farming system s, agricultural safety and controlled-environment agriculture; and the development and application of metrology equipment such as moisture meters, weighing scale and other metrology equipment.

1. Agricultural and Bio-Information System

It refers to utilization of information systems, database, and other information management tools for agricultural use, biological systems modeling to understand the mutual response between life and the environment: and application of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology for inventory, analysis, and management of agricultural and biological resources, and remote sensing technology for observation and examination of the landscape and its local forms and agricultural activities.

1. Agrometeorology

It refers to the studies of meteorological and hydrological factors in relation to agriculture and also studies about the behavior of the weather elements that have direct relevance to agriculture and their effect on crop production. Whereas, weather and climate are the determining factors of the success or failure of agriculture. Agrometeorology is important in planning copping patterns/systems, selecting of sowing dates for optimum crop yield, for cost effective ploughing, harrowing weeding, etc. 

1. Agricultural and Biological Resource Conservation and Management

It refers to measures of conservation and proper management of agricultural and biological resources such as, but is not limited to, area development for agriculture, settlement and recreation; parks and plant nurseries; beneficial ecosystem of life and environment; study and analysis of agricultural system as an integrated component of landscape; monitoring and conservation of natural resources; rehabilitation of forest, lakes, rivers and idle lands; and the sustainable development, management, and exploitation of the agricultural ecosystem.

REFERENCES

https://www.senate.gov.ph/republic_acts/ra%2010915.pdf

https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in/noc18_ar09/preview

http://ched.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Draft-PSG-for-the-Bachelor-of-Science-in-Agricultural-and-Biosystems-Engineering-BSABE.pdf

http://whatisengineering.com/topic/what-is-bioprocess-engineering/

http://whatisengineering.com/topic/what-is-food-engineering/

https://foodengineering.tamu.edu/FEngr.html

https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/OpenNonWebContent.aspx?content=31493.wba

https://study.com/directory/category/Engineering/Forest_Engineering.html

Yay, that's it! Hope you all would get something from this article.

Oh btw, if you want to have sponsors, please feel free to join the community  "Get Sponsored !!" 

 @Ashma thanks for the motivations!

Have a nice day!