Advancement by the integration of elementary improvements into superior systems

Recent and expected achievements are discussed in disciplines such as biotechnology, materials science, building physics, structural design and environmental engineering. Basic knowledge about the interdependence between technology and plants, animals and microbiology, must be put together in the functional design and layout of facilities, which also meets requirements for: visual impact and aesthetic quality; environmental implications and sustainability; economic competitiveness of enterprises and several other requirements. However, external factors often determine prices and income, such as the marketplace, government policy, international trade, the World Trade Organisation and the world food situation, leading to a continuous trend of structural change and the relocation for the agri-food system. Infrastructure investments designed by agricultural engineers, driven by technological, economical and political changes are the cutting edge of structural change for shaping the future farming. Can agricultural engineers meet the challenge of synthesis for the third millennium? (C) 2000 Silsoe Research Institute.