ERT 141

FUNDAMENTALS OF BIOSYSTEMS
ENGINEERING

ASSIGNMENT 1

NAME

: TAY SEE YEE

MATRIX NO : 131192709
DATE

: 11/10/2013

PROGRAM

: RK90- BIOSYSTEM ENGINEERING

Why introduced Biosystems Engineering?

Biosystems engineering is defined here as analysis, design, and control of biologically-based

systems for the sustainable production and processing of food and biological materials and
the efficient utilization of natural and renewable resources in order to enhance human health
in harmony with the environment.

Nowadays, there many challenges faced by agriculture in sustainable development. There

have 3 significant principal dimensions in sustainable agriculture: environment quality,
economic efficiency and social responsibility. Based on the agriculture issues, we can also
apply the knowledge of applies engineering sciences to solve the problem involving
biological system.

In environment dimension, agriculture shall minimize the use of non-renewable resources,

replenish tapped resources, protect and enhance the environment and natural resources. In
economic dimension, agriculture must provide sufficient financial reward to farmers, enable
them to make a decent living, encourage production and conservation of the environment. For
the social dimension, agriculture shall contribute to thriving and viable local communities, to
economic and social development, including the provision of healthy food. While all three
dimensions are closely related.

The global climate change (GCC) is normally refer to the increasing average global
temperature. For example, rising levels of carbon dioxide are causing wide-ranging impacts,
including rising sea levels, melting snow and ice, acid acidification, drought, flood and so on.
In long run, the GCC will affect the agriculture in several ways. Firstly, it will bring a serious
impact to the environment which included soil erosion and degradation, decreases of water
availability. It will then directly affected to the economic development due to the decreases of
crop yield where the supply shortages also lead to price increasing. Finally, there are some

problem faced by our society that is shortage of professional, semi-professional and skill
worker.
We should also concern for preserving ours natural resource base. This is because there is a
rapid growing of human population. According to the World Population Prospects of United
Nations, human population will have reached 6.15 billion in the year 2000 and 7.87 billion in
year 2020. This means that there will be more people competing for the consumption of the
same amount of natural resources. Therefore, steps that are possible taken is to design a
solution about how to balance the needs for natural resources in agriculture with a sustainable
management of nature and the environment. This can ensure constant supply of food and so
that ours future generation can survival.

In this context, biosystems engineering is introduced as a bio-based economic engine viable

socially acceptable and eco-friendly. It is a field of engineering which integrates engineering
science and design with applied biological, environment and agricultural sciences. It is a step
to analyse problem with global implication in a holistic manner and to propose solution that
reflect the consideration of the whole biosystems.