CIGR Newsletter No 62
CIGR NEWS
News from Sections and Working Groups
Conference Cancellation:
International Conference of CIGR Section IV on "Technical Improvements in Energy Transformation in Agriculture in the 21st Century"
This conference, originally planned to be held in Alexandria, Egypt, in September 2003, has been cancelled.
4th Report from Section II Working Group 13, 2002: Climatization of Animal Houses – Heat and Moisture Production at Animal and House Levels
A working group on Climatization of Animal Houses was founded in 1977 by CIGR Section II, with Dr. Michael Rist, Switzerland, as chairman. The main goal for the group was to develop guidelines on animal heat and moisture production rates for proper sizing and operation of ventilation and heating equipment for animal houses. The first report from the group was published in 1984, and has since then served as guidelines in many countries. The 1984 report was followed by the 2nd report in 1989 (revised in 1992) and the 3rd report on aerial contaminants in 1994.
In the middle of the 1990s, the European organisation EurAgEng also established a special interest group (SIG) dealing with climatization of animal houses. Because the members of the CIGR working group and of the SIG 14 are more or less identical, the two groups have gradually merged into a CIGR/SIG working group during the last couple of years. The present 4th report is made by the CIGR working group with inputs from members of EurAgEng. Altogether, more than 50 people have participated in one or more meetings.
The goal for the 4th report has been to bring equations for calculation of animal heat and moisture production up to date and to propose a practical tool for calculation of heat and moisture production on a house level, taking into account moisture evaporated from manure and urine, feed, and spilt drinking water. Furthermore, the report focuses on diurnal variations in animal heat and moisture production, which can be of a considerable magnitude and not at all negligible.
Authors: Pedersen, S. & and Sällvik, K. Published by Research Centre Bygholm, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, P.O Box 536, DK-8700 Horsens, Denmark. ISBN 87-88976-60-2. The 4th report is published exclusively on the Internet. It is available free of charge as a pdf document at http://www.agrsci.dk/jbt/spe/CIGRreport/
News From Regional and National Societies
Irrigation and Drainage Systems: Research and Development in the 21st Century
A Joint ICID-EurAgEng World-Wide Investigation
In 1990 ICID made an urgent appeal to well-established international organisations such as the World Bank to respond to the need for promoting research and development in irrigation and drainage, both in the developed and the developing countries. Insufficient research, application of research findings and access to new and advanced technology in the field were seen as some of the main reasons for the problems plaguing the sector: poor water use efficiency, environmental degradation, high cost and lack of responsiveness to beneficiaries. Since then, many technology research programmes have been launched by different scientific, financial and professional institutions. Their mission has been to enhance the standard of irrigation and drainage research and development world-wide with a view to improving technology and management so as to enhance system performance, food security and sustainability of the irrigation and drainage environment. During the meeting of the EurAgEng SIG on Soil and Water in September 1995, held in Rome within the 46th ICID International Executive Council, EurAgEng agreed to join this enterprise. Since then ICID and EurAgEng have committed themselves to working together in an endeavour to select priority issues at the root of the major problems encountered in irrigation and drainage system development.
Particular attention was focused on:
- Procedures for integrated planning and management of irrigation and drainage systems
- Analysis to identify causes and effects constraining irrigation and drainage system performance
- Research thrust and development
- Conjunctive use of surface and groundwater resources
- Technology for the design, construction, and modernisation of irrigation and drainage systems
- Environmental impacts and suitable measures for creating and maintaining sustainability
- Institutional strengthening, proper financial assessment, capacity building, training and education.
The main findings and results of this cooperation have been recently published by the authors in the ICID Journal Irrigation and Drainage (Vol. 51.4, 2002, pp 311-327) and are available online in Wiley InterScience (http://www.interscience.wiley.com )
Bart Schultz, President Honorary of ICID
Daniele De Wrachien, President of EurAgEng
