Environment

IAgrE champions a sustainable environment recognising that sustainable development is central to the agricultural and associated landbased engineering sector.  The condition of our environment is influenced by our behaviour and we have the opportunity to either nurture or mistreat it.

IAgrE members have a significant role to play in sustainability, providing options and solutions to maximise social value and minimise environmental impact. In fulfilling these role members can play a major role in solving global problems such as climate change, food and water supply, energy security and economic stability.

By working in synergy with other like-minded professional bodies, IAgrE can demonstrate to wider society the importance of sustainable development - co-operation and cross-disclipline teamwork.

A key principle of sustainable development is being able to meet the needs of the here and now without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. While we cannot be certain what the future may hold we can be certain that it must be a more sustainable one. 

Agricultural engineers working on environmental projects can find themselves involved in:

• Timber engineering – using timber for creating sustainable and lightweight structures
• Estate management
• Forest machinery, roads and bridges
• Agri-environmental schemes
• Farm conservation
• Habitat management, farmland biodiversity, landscape and access, historic environment and woodland
• Renewable energy
• Waste processing

Photo courtesy of USDA