Working Groups

 

CIGR Working Groups are appointed by the Executive Board to carry out studies on specific subjects of international importance and interest.

The Working Groups Co-ordinator assists the Chairpersons of the Working Groups in the fulfilment of their task and in providing a liaison with the governing bodies of CIGR.

 

WORKING GROUPS COORDINATOR:

Prof. Da-Wen Sun
Food Refrigeration & Computerised Food Technology, National University of Ireland, Dublin (University College Dublin), Agriculture & Food Science Centre, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
T.: +353 1 7167342
F.: +353 1 7167493 / 7167415
E-mail: dawen.sun@ucd.ie


Website:

http://www.ucd.ie/refrig/, http://www.ucd.ie/sun/

 

WORKING GROUPS:



Earth Observation for Land and Water Engineering Working Group

Chair: Prof. Guido D'Urso

Department of Agricultural Engineering and Agronomy, University of Naples "Federico II", Via Università 100, I-80055 Portici, Naples, Italy

E-mail: durso@unina.it

Website:
http://digilander.libero.it/WG_CIGR_EO/index.htm



Animal Housing in Hot Climate Working Group

Chair: Prof. Mohamed Hatem
Agricultural Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
T.: +2 02 5738000 / +2 0101016796
F.: +2 02 5717355
E-mail: mhatem15@hotmail.com, hatem@cu.edu.eg

Secretary: Prof. Eileen Fabian Wheeler
The Pennsylvania State University, Dept. of Agricultural & Biological Engineering, 228 Agricultural Engineering Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA
T.: +1 814 865 3552
F.: +1 814 863 1031
E-mail: efw2@psu.edu

Secretary: Prof. Baoming Li
Dept. of Agricultural Structure and Bioenvironmental Engineering, China Agricultural University Beijing 100083, China
T.: +86 10 62736904
F.: +86 10 62737570
E-mail: libm@cau.edu.cn



Rural Development and the Preservation
of Cultural Heritages Working Group

Chair: Prof. Silvio Kosutic
Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb Svetosimunska 25 HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
T. +385 1 23 93 714
F. +385 1 23 93 724
E-mail: skosutic@agr.hr

Vice Chair: Prof. Dr. Milan Martinov
Faculty of Technical Sciences, Chair for Biosystems Engineering, Novi Sad, Serbia
T.: +381 21 485 2369
F.: +381 21 455 672
E-mail: MilanMartinov@uns.ac.rs

Secretary: Mr. Goran Fabijanić
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
T.: +385 1 4616204
F.: +385 1 2393724
E-mail: gfabijanic@agr.hr



Cattle Housing Working Group

Chair: Prof. Josi FLABA

Ingénieur-Directeur, Direction générale de l'Agriculture, Direction du Développement et de la Vulgarisation, Chaussée de Louvain 14, PL 4, B 5000 Namur, Belgium

T.: +32 (0)81 649622
F.: +32 (0)81 649555

E-mail: joseph.flaba@spw.wallonie.be



Water Management & Information Systems Working Group

Chair: Dr. Jose Fernando Ortega Alvarez
Departamento de Produccion Vegetal y Tecnologia Agraria, E.T.S. de Ingenieros, Agronomos, Campus Universitario, 02071-Albacete, Spain
T.: +34 967 599 200
F.: +34 967 599 238
E-mail: jose.ortega@uclm.es

Vice Chair: (to be appointed)

Secretary: (to be appointed)



Agricultural Engineering University
Curricula Harmonization Working Group

Chair: Prof. Pierluigi Febo

Universita di Palermo, Dip. Economia, Ingegneria e Technologie Agrarie, Viale delle Scienze 13, IT-90128 Palermo, Italy

F.: +39 091 484 035
E-mail: pierfebo@unipa.it

Vice Chair: Prof. Giacomo Scarascia-Mugnozza

Dipartimento PROGESA, Università di Bari via Amendola 165/a, 70126 Bari, Italy

T.: +39 080 5442966
F.: +39 080 5442977
E-mail: scarasci@agr.uniba.it

Secretary: Dr. Antonio Comparetti

Dipartimento di Ingegneria e Tecnologie Agro-Forestali (I.T.A.F.), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Building 4, 90128 Palermo, Italy

T.: +39 091 7028173 / Mobile: +39 328 6221761
F.: +39 091 484035
E-mail: comparetti@unipa.it



Rural Landscape Protection and Valorisation Working Group

Chair: Dr. Ken Ohno
Bioresources, Mie University,
1577 Kurima-Machiya, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan
E-mail: oono@bio.mie-u.ac.jp

Mission statement

Landscape is about the relationship between people and place. Human impact on the place has changed the landscape. In the past, the rural landscape has been mostly influenced by farmers and landowners. Now, the landscape has more urban influences. The rural cultural landscape which is a product of environmental conditions and land use is vanishing. Rural landscape protection and valorization are needed. The Rural landscape protection and valorization should integrate natural conservation, farmland retention, historic preservation and so on. The Rural landscape protection and valorization should be linked to the social and economic needs. The Rural landscape protection and valorization should be sustainable. The mission of this working group is having the intensive discussion on the question how research might support rural landscape protection and valorization. The common understanding that can be shared and generalize the issue of the development of future rural landscapes is expected.



Image Analysis for Agricultural Processes
and Products Working Group

Chair: Prof. Enrique Molto
IVIA (Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias), Ctra. Moncada-Naquera km 5, 46113 Moncada (Valencia), Spain
T.: +34 963 424 051/000
F.: +34 963 424 001
E-mail: molto@ivia.es

Vice Chair: Prof. Thomas Banhazi
SARDI -PPPI, The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, Roseworth SA 5371, Australia
T.: +61 8 8303 7781
F.: +61 8 8303 7975
E-mail: banhazi.thomas@saugov.sa.gov.au

Vice Chair: Dr. Manuela Zude
Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469 Potsdam-Bornim, Germany
T.: +49 331 5699 616
F.: +49 331 5699 849
E-mail: zude@atb-potsdam.de

Website:
http://www.atb-potsdam.de/CIGR-ImageAnalysis


Objectives

  • To meet recent demands on process monitoring in agricultural production, during storage and processing of raw material

  • To develop objective, sensitive, and reliable optical tools for receiving analytical data in a non-destructive way

Scope

  • Terrestrial and aerial mapping of natural resources


  • Non-destructive, on-site inspection of product properties and quality control


  • Crop monitoring, precision agriculture, precision horticulture and automatic guidance


  • Livestock farming (both on and off farm applications)

  • Classification in processing lines

  • Robotics or any other process automation

Tasks

A) Monitoring

  • Gathering recognition parameters for image processing in on-site monitoring of plants and animals

  • Interdisciplinary exchange and development of advanced image processing methods in different applications

  • Exchange between science and industry for bringing new optical compounds in the focus of scientific working groups supporting new applications

B) Process management

  • Image processing with respect to geometric and structure analyses

  • Development of phantoms (gold standards)

  • Influence of outdoor light conditions

  • Changes of recognized parameters in on-site monitoring as a function of time

  • Remote inspection of farms, greenhouses, etc via internet

Expected outcomes

  • Capture the state-of-the-art of image analyses applications in agronomy

  • Enhancement of the collaboration of industry and scientists

  • Publication of an outline of recent trends and future needs of industry

  • Standardization To publish a handbook on Image Processing in Agriculture under the guidelines of the CIGR


Food Safety Working Group

Chair: Prof. Antonio Martinez
Vice-Director of the Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de Alimentos, I.A.T.A., Avda. Agustín Escardino, 7 46980 Paterna (Valencia), Spain
T.: +34 963 90 0022
F.: +34 963 63 6301
E-mail: conaml@iata.csic.es

Vice Chair: Dr. Amauri Rosenthal
Brazilian Institute for Agricultural Research (EMBRAPA), Food Technology Research Centre, Av. das Americas 29501, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 23020-470 Brazil
T.: +55 21 36229630
F.: +55 21 36229713
E-mail:
arosent@ctaa.embrapa.br
amaurictaa@yahoo.com

Vice Chair: Dr. Tatiana Koutchma
Agriculure and Agri-Food Canada, 93 Stone Rd W, Guelph, Ontario N1G 5C9, Canada
T.: 519-780-8083
F.: 519-829-2600
E-mail: Tatiana.Koutchma@agr.gc.ca

Secretary: Dr. Tony Mutukumira
Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health, Massey University, Private Bag 102904, Auckland 0745, New Zealand
T.: +64 9 414 0800 Ext. 41203
F.: +64 9 443 9640
E-mail: A.N.Mutukumira@massey.ac.nz

Missions

  • To Improve understanding of hazards and their risks and control measures along food production chains

  • To enhance the scientific knowledge and contribute to technological advances for assuring food safety

  • To better understand the consumer perception of risks and improve risk communication

Objectives

  • Gathering, generating and disseminating information on predicting and monitoring the behaviour and fate of emerging biological and chemical hazard

  • Divulging advances on risk assessment and risk-benefit evaluation

  • Disseminating information on tools, preservation practices and processes to ensure safety along the food chain

  • Understanding and addressing consumer concerns with food safety issues


Logistics Working Group

Chair: Prof. Remigio Berruto
DEIAFA – Dept. of Agricultural, Forestry and Environmental
Economics and Engineering, University of Turin, Italy
E-mail: remigio.berruto@unito.it

Vice Chair: Dr. Patrizia Busato
DEIAFA – Dept. of Agricultural, Forestry and Environmental
Economics and Engineering, University of Turin, Italy
e-mail: patrizia.busato@unito.it

Secretary: Dr. Elisabeth Quendler
University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences
(Universität für Bodenkultur), Wien, Austria
E-mail: elisabeth.quendler@boku.ac.at

Introduction

Logistic definition: “Logistic is a discipline that plans, implements and controls the efficient and effective flow and storage of good, services and related information from the point of origin to point of consumption in order to meet customer’s requirements”. (Ricks et al., Council of Logistic
Management, 2002).

Logistic plays an important role in today agriculture, facing new challengies (GMO crops, Globalisation, Traceability, Local produce distribution, High capacity harvesting equipments, Increase in food quality concerns, Environmental impact, etc.) and new opportunities (biomass and bioenergy supply-chains, GPS technologies on tractors and trucks, e-commerce, new methods from operation research and industry, information technology, etc.).

Some logistic techniques are available from industry domain, however there is a need for adaptation (handling and storage of perishable produce, seasonal production and demand, timeliness constraints, food safety constraints on transportation) and some methodologies should be implemented ex-novo. Still few researchers within CIGR work on this topic and there is a need to share information on methodologies and applications.

Objectives

  • To meet recent demands on machinery management in complex agricultural operations related to harvest, distribution and transport of produce (grain, biomass, slurry)

  • To share the state-of-the art technology for the optimal management of on-farm, extra-farm and regional logistic operations

  • To develop methods and tools to improve the efficiency of the logistic operations

  • To set-up standard parameter for comparison of logistic operations

  • To optimize, with a system approach, the performance of the working chains, under many viewpoints, considering technical, economic and environmental aspects.

Methods and techniques

The WG will discuss and promote the following methods and techniques (and will not be limited to):

  • Set-up of field trials with standard conditions

  • Intermodal operation (e.g. wagon-truck, truck-barge, etc)

  • Innovative handling systems and technologies

  • Storage management and agricultural facility planning

  • Euristic and scheduling tools

  • Discrete event simulation modeling

  • Linear, mixed, integer programming

  • Analytical models, statistical tools

  • Vehicle route planning and logistic networks

  • Management resource planning and JIT methodologies

  • Lean Thinking applied to streaming of information and goods

Domains

In-farm, extra farm and regional logistics

  • Service operation logistics

  • Biomass & forage supply-chain

  • Grain supply-chain

  • Slurry management

  • Storage and operation design

Delivery of high-value produce through the supply-chain

  • Local produce

  • Information sharing

Information streaming along the supply-chain

  • Traceability performance for the supply chain

Expected outcomes

  • To organize within CIGR specific workshops on the topic

  • To interact with other CIGR Working Groups and Sections

  • To provide reports on state-of-the-art of the topics

  • To develop a network among the people working on logistic topics within CIGR

  • Cooperate with E-Journal with papers on the topic and with a pool of expert reviewers for the subject

  • To promote the activity among industry researchers and agriculture extension services specialists

  • To develop contacts with similar international organization


Precision Aerial Application Working Group

Chair: Dr. Yubin Lan
USDA ARS, Aerial Application Technology Group, Areawide Pest Management Research Unit, 2771 F&B Road, College Station, TX 77845, USA
T.: + 979 260 3759
F.: + 979 260 9386
E-mail: Yubin.lan@ars.usda.gov

Vice Chair: Dr. Steven J. Thomson
USDA ARS, Crop Production Systems Research Unit, 141 Experiment Station Road, Stoneville, MS 38776
T.: + 662.686 5240
F.: + 662.686 5422
Email: Steve.Thomson@ars.usda.gov

Vice Chair: Prof. Xinyu Xue
The Center of Plant Protection, Nanjing Research Institute for Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of P.R. China, No.100 Liuying, Xuanwu District, Nanjing, P.R. China 210014
T.: + 025 8434 6243
F.: + 025 8434 6244
Email: muamkk@hotmail.com

Secretary: Dr. W. Clint Hoffmann
USDA ARS, Aerial Application Technology Group, Areawide Pest Management Research Unit, 2771 F&B Road, College Station, TX 77845, USA
T.: + 979 260 9521
F.: + 979 260 9386
E-mail: Clint.hoffmann@ars.usda.gov

Secretary: Prof. Ron Lacey
Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843
T.: + 979 845 3931
F.: + 979 845 3932
E-mail: ron-lacey@tamu.edu

Missions

The mission of the Precision Aerial Application Working Group is to develop and implement new and improved precision aerial application equipment for safe, efficient, and sustainable crop production and protection.

Objectives

The overall objective of this group is to provide precision aerial application solutions for aerial applicators using cutting edge technologies. The first variable-rate aerial application system was developed about a decade ago in the USA and since then, precision aerial application has benefitted from these technologies. Many areas around the world rely on readily available agricultural airplanes or helicopters for pest management, and variable-rate aerial application provides a way of making effective and precise application of agrochemicals. In the context of precision aerial application, variable-rate control can simply mean terminating spray over field areas that do not require inputs, terminating spray near pre-defined buffer areas determined by Global Positioning, or applying multiple rates to meet the variable needs of the crop. Prescription maps for precision aerial application are developed using remote sensing, Global Positioning, and Geographic Information System technologies. Precision aerial application technology has the potential to benefit the agricultural aviation industry by saving operators and farmers time and money.

Action Plan

This new working group will focus on serving as an organizer and coordinator of researchers involved in Precision Aerial Application. This group via the Officers will organize International Meetings in July 2012 (Texas, USA) and 2014 (China - concurrent with CIGR International meeting). Besides serving as a coordinator to report current research projects, each of meetings will have a session focused on the identification of future research needs and which institutions have the capability to do the research. This will eliminate a repeat of research effort and enhance international collaborations.

Expected Outcome

As the first International Precision Aerial Application Group, this new CIGR working group will serve as a valuable resource to the aerial application community. By coordinating research projects across multiple institutions, the role and impact of precision application will increase in aerial application situations.