The livelihoods of 75% of the world’s poor will

continue to depend on agriculture for the foreseeable

future. At the same time, rising food prices are likely to
make problems of hunger and poverty worse for urban
and rural people. Research that produces innovation
in agriculture – biosystems engineering - is therefore
more important than ever for reducing poverty.
Some areas you can do
 Research on increasing productivity from all farming
systems
 Specific technological and engineering innovations
 Research on the use of low cost technologies in
agriculture
 Support for indigenous knowledge systems of crop and
animal production
Food System
Agriculture
Environment
Renewable Natural Resources
 Fisheries, forestry, water and land resources
 Provide income for majority of population
 Provide vast majority of exports
 Supply raw materials to industry
 Feed the population
 Capable of generating wealth continuously through
good management systems
Understand the Game

Natural Life Supporting

disasters, Resources are
development
,
environment,
Declining
fossil fuels,
land use

Consumption of
Population,
living
Life Supporting
standards, Resources are
productivity
Rising
Sustainable
Sustain
 Keep alive or in existence
(Membuat terus hidup atau wujud)
 Keep an effort going, maintain
(Meneruskan sesuatu usaha,
mempertahankan)
Sustainability rests on the principle that we must meet
the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Sustainable Development
 Most societies aspire to achieve economic
development to secure rising standards of living,
both for themselves and for future generations.
 They also seek to protect and enhance their
environment, now and for their children.
 Reconciling these two aspirations is at the heart
of sustainable development.
Sustainable Development
 To provide an adequate supply of food and other
products in an efficient manner.
 To minimise consumption of non-renewable and other
resources.
 To safeguard the quality of soil, water and the air and
to preserve, where feasible, biodiversity in the
landscape.
Principles of Sustainable Development
 Economic development is sought by societies not
only to satisfy basic material needs, but also to
provide the resources to improve the quality of life
in other domains, meeting the demand for health
care, education and a good environment.
 Many forms of economic development make
demands upon the environment; they use natural
resources which are sometimes in limited supply,
and generate by-products of pollution and waste.
Principles of Sustainable Development
 The right kind of economic activity can protect or
enhance the environment.
 These include:
 energy efficiency measures,
 improved technology and techniques of management,
 better product design and marketing,
 waste minimization,
 environmentally friendly farming practices,
 making better use of land and buildings, and
 improved transport efficiency.
Challenge
The challenge of sustainable development is to
promote ways of encouraging the use of various
kinds of environmentally friendly economic
activity, and of discouraging environmentally
damaging activities.
Sustainable Development Strategy

 Social progress which recognizes the needs of

everyone
 Effective protection of the environment
 Prudent use of natural resources
 Maintenance of high and stable levels of economic
growth and employment
Definition of Sustainability
Sustainable development is development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the needs
of future generations to meet their own needs.

Brundtland (1987)
Concepts
It contains within it two key concepts:

 The concepts of needs, in particular the essential

needs of the world’s poor, to which overriding
priority should be given, and
 The idea of limitations imposed by the state of
technology and social organization on the
environments ability to meet present and future
needs.
Other Definitions
Sustainable development involves devising a social and
economic system, which ensures that these goals are
sustained, i.e. that real incomes rise, that educational
standards increase, that the health of the nation
improves, that the general quality of life is advanced.

Pearce, Makandia & Barbier (1989)

Other Definitions
 Sustainable development, sustainable growth, and
sustainable use have been used interchangeably, as if their
meanings were the same. They are not.
 Sustainable growth is a contradiction in terms: nothing
physical can grow indefinitely.
 Sustainable use, is only applicable to renewable resources.
 Sustainable development is used in this strategy to mean:
improving the quality of human life whilst living within the
carrying capacity of the ecosystems.

UCN, UNEP, WWF (1991)

Other Definitions
 Development is about realising resource potential.
 Sustainable development of renewable natural
resources implies respecting limits to the
development process, even though these limits are
adjustable by technology.
 The sustainability of technology may be judged by
whether it increases production, but retains its
other environmental and other limits.
Sustainable Agricultural System
A sustainable agricultural system is one that can
indefinitely meet the requirements for food and
fibre at socially acceptable, economical and
environmental costs.

Crossen (1992)
Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is a system that can evolve
indefinitely toward greater human utility, greater
efficiency of resource use and a balance with the
environment which is favourable to humans and most
other species.

Harwood (1990)
Sustainable Agriculture
We thus define agricultural sustainability as the ability
to maintain productivity, whether as a field or farm or
nation,
Where
output of valued product
productivity = ---------------------------------
per unit of resource input.
Conway & Barbier (1990)
Caretaker of both Natural and Human
Resources
 stewardship of both natural and human resources
is of prime importance.
 Stewardship of human resources includes
consideration of social responsibilities such as
working and living conditions of workers, the
needs of rural communities, and consumer health
and safety both in the present and the future.
 Stewardship of land and natural resources involves
maintaining or enhancing this vital resource base
for the long term.
Systems Perspective
 A systems perspective is essential to understanding
sustainability.
 The system is envisioned in its broadest sense,
from the individual farm, to the local ecosystem,
and to communities affected by the farming
system both locally and globally.
 A systems approach gives the tools to explore the
interconnections between farming and other
aspects of the environment.
Interdisciplinary Efforts
 A systems approach also implies interdisciplinary
efforts in research and education.
 This requires not only the input of researchers from
various disciplines, but also farmers, farmworkers,
consumers, policymakers and others.
 The Trend Meet
Future
Needs

transition

PROCESS

NON-SUSTAINABLE SUSTAINABLE
Degradation
Erosion of
Values
A Process
 Making the transition to sustainable agriculture is a
process.
 Reaching toward the goal of sustainable agriculture is
the responsibility of all participants in the system,
including farmers, workers, policymakers, researchers,
retailers, and consumers.
Resource Degradation
 Natural resource degradation from non-sustainable
farming and forestry practices.
 Water is the principal resource that has helped
agriculture and society to prosper, and it has been a
major limiting factor when mismanaged.
 drought-tolerant crop species, using reduced-volume
irrigation systems, managing crops to reduce water loss,
or don’t plant anything!
Energy
 Modern agriculture is heavily dependent on non-
renewable energy sources, especially petroleum.
 The continued use of these non-renewable energy
sources cannot be sustained indefinitely.
 In sustainable agricultural systems, there is
reduced reliance on non-renewable energy sources
and a substitution of renewable sources to the
extent that is economically feasible e.g. biofuel
Water Quality
 The most important issues related to water quality
involve salinization and contamination of ground and
surface waters by pesticides, nitrates and selenium.
 Erosion and sedimentation.
 Waste water treatment.
 Desertification
Air Quality
 Many agricultural activities affect air quality.
 These include smoke from agricultural burning;
dust from tillage, traffic and harvest; pesticide drift
from spraying; and nitrous oxide emissions from
the use of nitrogen fertilizer.
 Options to improve air quality include
incorporating crop residue into the soil, using
appropriate levels of tillage, and planting wind
breaks, cover crops or strips of native perennial
grasses to reduce dust.
Soil Quality
 Soil erosion continues to be a serious threat to our
continued ability to produce adequate food.
 Property development
 Hillside clearing
 Numerous practices have been developed to keep
soil in place, which include reducing or
eliminating tillage, managing irrigation to reduce
runoff, and keeping the soil covered with plants or
mulch.
 Enhancement of soil quality.
 Analysis of Sustainability

Typical characteristics of Typical determinants of

Level of analysis
sustainability (cumulative) sustainability

Productive crops & animals; Soil & water management; biological

Conservation of soil & water; low control of pests; use of organic
Field/production unit levels of crop pests & animal manure; fertilizers; crop varieties &
diseases animal breeds

Awareness by farmers; economic &

Access to knowledge, external
Farm social needs satisfied; viable
inputs and markets
production systems

Policies for agricultural

Public awareness; sound
development; population pressure;
Country development of agro-ecological
agricultural education, research &
potential; conservation of resources
extension

Quality of the natural environment;

human welfare & equity
Control of pollution; terms of trade;
Region/continent/world mechanisms; international
distribution
agricultural research &
development
Proposition
 A sustainable system or process must be based on
resources that will not be exhausted over a
reasonable period (sometimes expressed as the 'long
term')

 A sustainable system or process must not generate

unacceptable pollution externally or internally
Sustainable Farming
 Essentially one has to treat one’s farmland as a living
system embedded in a broader ecosystem and
understanding how to manage all farm practices on
the basis of this holistic perception of sustainability
Sustainable Farming
Its characteristics include:

 The farmer understands the land as a living system in

which she/he acts to support a dynamic balance
among the plants, animals, insects, soil, and water.
 Labor and knowledge are the intensive inputs.
 Animal and plant production is integrated and
synergistic.
 Farm plant and animal residues and by-products are
recycled, on the farm whenever possible.
 Farming maintains biodiversity and soil health
through polyculture, crop rotation, cover crops, and
appropriate application of compost and organic
fertilizer.
Sustainable Farming
 Diversified cropping, windbreaks, hedgerows, and
vegetation at field margins contribute to improved
and varied wildlife habitat, including encouragement
of beneficial predator insects.
 Pests and weeds are controlled through the whole
pattern of farming, with little or no application of
chemical pesticides or herbicides.
 Similarly, animal health is maintained through
avoiding large concentrations and with minimal use
of antibiotics.
 Energy consumption is much lower at all stages of the
production cycle and uses renewable sources
wherever possible.
 Farm equipment is relatively lightweight with low
energy demand and impact on soils.
Essential Attributes for Future Agricultural
Systems
 They should be highly productive, of safe, high quality products
(within identified constraints)
 They should be physically sustainable, i.e. use physical resources at
rates or in ways which allow adequate long term development
 They should be biologically sustainable (i.e. the biological organisms
and processes on which they depend must be sustainable in the long
term) - this could encompass the avoidance of internal pollution such
as the build up of heavy metals
 They should satisfy agreed standards for human and animal welfare
 They should not give rise to unacceptable pollution, by products or
effects, including visual ones
 They must be profitable (since they would not be practiced if they were
not) - this also assumes that the products are wanted (otherwise there
will be no demand and the business will collapse)
Source: Pretty, J. N. The Living Land (1998)
Integrated Crop Management (ICM)
ICM is a 'whole farm approach' which is site specific
and includes:
 The use of crop rotations
 Appropriate cultivation techniques
 Careful choice of seed varieties
 Minimum reliance on artificial inputs such as
fertilisers, pesticides and fossil fuels
 Maintenance of the landscape
 The enhancement of wildlife habitats
Objectives of ICM
 The reduction or replacement of external farm
inputs, such as inorganic fertilizers, pesticides and
fuel, by means of farm produced substitutes and
better management of inputs.
 Total replacement is not possible without
significant loss of yields, but partial substitution of
inputs can be achieved by the use of natural
resources, the avoidance of waste and efficient
management of external inputs.
 This would then lead to reduced production cost
and less environmental degradation.
Waste Management
 The three "R"s apply here more than ever:
reduce, reuse, recycle. It'll not only be more
sustainable, but it's cheaper, too.
 Examine every bit of garbage and waste that your
operation produces and ask "What else can I do
with this?" If you can't do anything to do with it,
try to think of ways someone else in the
community can use it. Be creative.
Biological Sustainability
 No individual life form can be sustainable
indefinitely, since all must die at some point in
time.
 Preservation of individual life is only possible for
limited periods (limited sustainability).
 Individual species, ecosystems and habitats can be
sustained as they involve reproductive and other
essential processes - without which they would
cease to exist.
Non-living Resources
 Some resources are limited, other resources if not used
now, will not remain.
 The most obvious example being sunlight. If the solar
radiation received today is not trapped and utilized, it will
not be available tomorrow . Nor will the rate that it is used
today effect the amount that can be used tomorrow.
 The sun however is not an infinite resource and is slowly
(albeit very slowly) running down.
 Non-living resources may largely remain intact, though
they may change greatly in form (consider soil erosion,
radiation loss and weathering of rock).
Non-living Resources
 Resources such as fossil fuels are totally changed when
used and cannot be recreated on any reasonable time scale.
But they serve no purpose if left unused.
 The use of fossil fuels is entirely necessary to discover and
exploit other resources for energy production.
 They make possible the construction of dams for
hydropower and windmills for wind power.
 In other words, we are using the limited resource to find
the means not to use, or at least limit its rate of use in the
future. Gas and petrol are both derived from unsustainable
resources.
Pause & Ponder
 The arrows in the flow chart above, outline
the flows of money through the rural sector,
can you suggest any free resources the farmer
receives, and of what use are they?
 If a resource is limited, is there any benefit of
leaving it totally unused?
 Newly manufactured fence posts, but are they
from a sustainable wood supply?
Sustaining Resources
 Resources such as water and energy can be used
up, but never destroyed. Matter can never be
destroyed or indestructible.
 They may be changed in form, be recyclable or
difficult to recapture.
 There is a difference between using a resource and
using it up. For example, the countryside. Viewing
the hills in a recreational park in Perlis is not using
up the resource, but walking in the hills may
(eventually) destroy them (eco-tourism)
Living Resources
 Living resources do not remain static. A dairy cow
which is not milked may not provide any milk in the
future and may eventually die and be unavailable for
any purpose.
Living Resources
 All living things must eventually die: thus, a tree not
used as a resource will eventually die and decay -
liberating the same amount of CO2 as if it had been
burnt.

Gaharu
Sustainable Harvesting
 The use of living resources may have to be
considered over a relatively short period or be
related to populations (plant and animal) capable
of reproduction.
 This has given rise to the concept of sustainable
harvesting, taking only such proportion of the
population as can be continued over time,
depending on reproductive rates in animals and
seed numbers in plants
Economic Sustainability
 Economics is about the efficient use of resources,
usually expressed in monetary terms.
 The concept of economic sustainability is subject,
on all levels, to different inputs and outputs.
 The economic sustainability of a farm is subject to
the viability of, and markets for, an enterprise or
product.
 The economic sustainability of a nation is subject
to the whole economy on local, national and
international level.
Farming Life
 Enjoy your life. Farming is hard work, but the most
successful farmers know when to call it a day and
circumvent burn-out.
 Remember why you're farming and why, in particular,
you're aiming for a sustainable operation.
 For most people, it's because they like knowing they're
leaving land in better shape than they found it.
TUTORIAL Session
 Provide your understanding of what Biosystems
Engineering is all about?
 What is a working definition of sustainability?
 Illustrate with a simple diagram of
sustainability with respect to INPUT, OUTPUT
and USE.
 Relate between population and sustainability.