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Agricultural and Food
Engineering
Kathy Fescemyer and Helen Smith
INTRODUCTION
Agricultural engineering is a multidisciplinary profession that relies on expertise in both the engi-
neering and the agricultural elds. The roots of agricultural engineering go back to the earliest
civilizations with the origin of the hoe, early irrigation systems, and other early farming methods.
Over time, advances in agricultural machinery resulted in more efcient crop production; irriga-
tion and drainage developments produced more usable land resources, while conserving natural
resources; advances in agricultural buildings resulted in a healthier environment ...