By Qudsia Bano ISLAMABAD, April 05 (INP-WealthPK): Sustainable intensification and a systematic strategy to deal with agricultural change in a "climate-smart" fashion are major components of a vision for the future of agriculture. Technology breakthroughs based on engineering science, as well as the use of system models to provide an integrated understanding of the benefits and hazards associated with new practices, are required in such methods. A wide range of physical science and engineering fields have the potential to contribute to achieving the goals. The role of engineering in tackling societal difficulties such as global food security and contributing to economic growth has to be more widely recognized, and an engineering community addressing these issues with effective links to key stakeholders should be developed. Dr. Sajjad, Senior Scientific Officer at National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), said while talking to WealthPK that soil is frequently dug up and left bare after harvest in conventional farming. Tilling and ploughing degrade the soil, robbing it of nutrients and releasing significant volumes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. “Farmers can avoid physical disturbance to the soil while simultaneously maintaining its general structure and minimizing erosion by using no-till practices. Planting cover crops between seasons (such as wheat), using crop rotations, and spreading compost and animal manures, all of which rebuild the soil's microbiome to promote nutrients, are examples of regenerative systems that boost soil fertility,” Dr. Sajjad said. He said the structure and function of these microbial communities in the soil have been disrupted by synthetic fertilizers employed in conventional farming. To cope with these issues, he said, NARC has developed a multi-crop precision planter for regenerative agriculture in collaboration with the Agricultural Engineering Institute (AEI). Syed Fakhar Imam, former federal minister for National Food Security and Research, stated that sustainable agriculture is impossible without a complete set of agricultural machinery. The crop is proposed to grow on permanent raised beds under mulch conditions in regenerative agriculture, which not only saves 50% water but also saves other inputs. Fakhar Imam said mulching is also good for crops because it conserves and increases the availability of water, reduces heat stress, and improves soil health over time. Farmers are already employing conservation technologies such as zero-tillage machinery, which allows direct planting without the need for ploughing or soil preparation. The cost of machinery is reduced, irrigation water and tilling time are saved, soil organic matter is progressively increased by incorporating crop leftovers into the soil, and weeds are suppressed by mulching the soil. Fakhar Imam said precise planting is critical because it ensures that the appropriate yield of plants per acre is achieved. 35,000 plants per acre are required for maize, while 20,000 plants per acre are required for cotton. Precision planters will revolutionize the country's agriculture business, saving seed, and increasing per-acre productivity. Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali, Chairman of PARC, said agricultural machinery should be designed and manufactured using current tools. He said that 3D design, modeling, simulation, and CNC (computerized numerical control) manufacturing technologies should be used in both research and development, and production. “We will equip the AEI with new tools to increase our design and prototyping capabilities. The machine's design is outstanding, and it achieves a precision of over 95%,” he stated.