While food conjures up images of chefs, restaurants and supermarkets for most people, we rarely think of engineers. Yet the role of engineering in food security worldwide is crucial, addressing challenges across the entire food system, from production and processing to distribution and consumption.
From the farm to the table, engineers are working on the technology of food production, designing new systems, faster assembly, greater innovation – all of which is required to meet the demands of a growing human population. In fact, there is not an aspect of food that has not met the skilled hands of engineers before it meets the talents of a chef or your kitchen.
Improving the salad menu
- Agricultural engineering begins with the most important element, water. Engineers work to design systems that not only bring more water to areas as needed, but also how to optimise the use of that water. One of these ways of sustaining water use is drip irrigation, an essential Israeli discovery and development that is used worldwide to increase the value of water in drought-prone regions.
- More and more farms are being mechanised through clever inventions and solutions. The development of machinery like tractors, harvesters, and drones increases efficiency, reduces labour dependency, and improves yields.
- Likewise, precision agriculture has taken farming to a whole new level. Using sensors, GPS, and AI, engineers enable farmers to monitor soil health, nutrient levels, and crop conditions, leading to targeted interventions and reduced waste.
- Storing food so that it lasts longer also calls for some technical thinking. Engineers contribute by creating better silos, cold storage, and controlled-atmosphere storage facilities to reduce post-harvest losses caused by pests, mould, or spoilage. In addition, freeze-drying, canning, and vacuum packing are all engineering developments that extend shelf life and ensure food availability in remote areas.
Sustainability, availability and a touch of sci-fi
- Let’s not forget the power of solar, recycling and faster production. Solar-powered irrigation, wind energy for processing, and bioenergy production all reduce reliance on fossil fuels and promote sustainable food systems. It’s the ingenuity of engineering solutions that turn agricultural waste into biogas, compost, or animal feed, closing the loop in the food production cycle.
- In addition, engineers design roads, railways, and supply chain logistics to connect producers with markets, thus reducing food waste during transit.Leveraging the magic tools of IoT and AI, engineers optimise food distribution, minimise bottlenecks, and ensure timely delivery.
- In the actual factory processes, engineers work on technologies to ensure safe processing and packaging of food, meeting health and safety standards.
- Then there’s the micro world of bio-engineering or genetic engineering that creates crops resistant to pests, diseases, and extreme weather, thus contributing to more resilient food systems, which in turn ensures more food is available for the world’s burgeoning population.
- Understanding the impact of the climate on food production means that engineers have focused on developing new systems like flood barriers, rainwater harvesting, and resilient irrigation techniques to combat the difficulties a changing climate presents. Designing innovative greenhouses, vertical farms, and hydroponics systems present continuous ways to optimise food production in challenging climates.
- Electro-Agriculture – breaking barriers with a touch of sci-fi:This is anemerging technique that enables crop growth without sunlight, soil, or extensive land use. By utilising solar panels to drive chemical reactions that produce acetate from carbon dioxide and water, genetically modified plants can use this acetate as a food source, allowing growth in total darkness. This innovation has the potential to revolutionise farming by significantly reducing land usage and enabling controlled indoor agricultural environments.
Why Our Produce Could Soon Be Grown in Total Darkness
Recent engineering innovations
Precision agriculture tools: These tools have enabled farmers to monitor soil health, moisture levels, and crop conditions in real-time, allowing for targeted interventions that enhance productivity and resource efficiency.
Smart water irrigation systems: The development of smart systems that monitor environmental conditions and automate water delivery have proved lifesavers for small scale farmers. For instance, IoT-based smart water irrigation systems for rice farming have demonstrated the potential to reduce physical labour and optimise water usage through real-time monitoring of temperature, soil moisture, and humidity.
Vertical farming techniques: Vertical farming involves growing crops in vertically stacked layers, often incorporating controlled-environment agriculture and soilless farming methods like hydroponics and aeroponics. This approach allows small-scale farmers to maximise space, reduce land use, and achieve higher crop yields, making farming feasible in urban settings and areas with limited arable land.
Get in Outsource Engineers to handle your project
Imagine you could take your pick from a dream stable of just about every kind of engineering resource available at a moment’s notice. OutEng offers just that. Comprising a network of trusted, experienced and highly skilled engineers, project managers and technical people, including ECSA registered engineers in almost every discipline, all our engineers are freelancers or contractors who are contracted in per job as their skill is required. Each operates as an independent Business Unit, therefore covering own overheads (working from home or over weekends or remotely).
OutEng is setting new trends and standards in an agile, trust-based business style that is taking the engineering environment by storm. Across a multitude of cost-effective engineering and project services, you can expect:
- solid expertise and experience
- a unique combination of design, project management and engineering capability
- well-informed professionals who are up to date with the latest research.
To find out more, visit: www.outeng.co.za
