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The agricultural industry is dealing with enormous challenges across the globe, including the limited availability of arable lands and fresh water, as well as the effect of climate change. Machinery plays a crucial role in agriculture and farming systems, in order to feed the world's growing population. In the last decade, we have witnessed major advances in agricultural machinery and technologies, particularly as manufacturers and researchers develop and apply various novel ways of automation as well as the data and information gathering and analyzing capabilities of their machinery.
This book presents the state-of-the-art information on the important innovations in the agricultural and horticultural industry. It reviews and presents different novel technologies and implementation of these technologies to optimize farming processes and food production. There are four sections, each addressing a specific area of development. Section I discusses the recent development of farm machinery and technology. Section II focuses on water and irrigation engineering. Section III covers harvesting and post-harvest technology. Section IV describes computer modelling and simulation. Each section highlights current industry trends and latest research progress. This book is ideal for those working in or are associated with the fields of agriculture, agri-food chain and technology development and promotion.
List of contents
Introduction. Power, Machinery Systems and Alternative Fuels. Planting Equipment and Conservation Agriculture. New Harvester
Development. Irrigation Engineering, Soil and Water Management. Agricultural automation. Agricultural Post-Harvest
Technologies. Drying Technology. Food Treatment and Packaging. Built Environment and Greenhouse Engineering. Horticulture
Machinery. Livestock Production Equipment. Animal Waste Management. Technology for Biomass Production and Utilisation.
Other New and Emerging Technologies. Economics of Agricultural Machinery. Agricultural Machinery Management. Barriers and
Risks for the Development and Implementation of New Technologies in Agriculture. Systems Integration. Case Studies.
About the author
Dr Guangnan Chen is currently an Associate Professor in agricultural engineering at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. He graduated from the University of Sydney with a PhD degree in 1994. Before joining the University of Southern Queensland in early 2002, he worked for two years as a post-doctoral fellow and more than five years in a private consulting company based in New Zealand.
Dr Chen teaches and researches in the subjects of agricultural machinery, agricultural materials and post-harvest technologies, agricultural soil mechanics, and sustainable agriculture. He has so far published more than 100 papers in various international journals and conferences, including two edited books and 10 invited book chapters. He is currently also the Secretary of Board of Technical Section IV (Energy in Agriculture), CIGR (Commission Internationale du Genie Rural), which is one of the world’s top professional bodies in agricultural and biosystems engineering.
Summary
The agricultural industry is facing challenges on a global scale, including the limited availability of arable lands and fresh water, as well as extreme climate change. Machinery is an integral part of agriculture and farming systems. Continuous improvement in agricultural machinery performance is essential to meet the growing population. This b
