The general perception is that Agriculture is associated with the past and all things rural whereas Engineering is associated with everything modern and most importantly the future. Joining the two, as in the phrase Agricultural Engineering, is more of a paradox and it leaves very few people genuinely interested in knowing or writing about the field.
What is Agricultural Engineering?
Agricultural engineering, which in recent years has become commonly known as Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, applies engineering principles & technology to ensure sustainable use of natural resources and food security. Agricultural engineering combines the disciplines of mechanical, civil, electrical, chemical engineering with animal and plant biology. Basically there are six major specializations in agricultural engineering namely, Farm Mechanization and Power engineering, Irrigation & Drainage engineering, Soil & Water Conservation engineering, Agricultural structures, Food and Agro-processing engineering and Energy and Biomass.
Role in economic and social development.
Agricultural engineers strive to answer the following key questions on a daily basis:
- How do we ensure an adequate and safe food supply for an expanding world population,
- How do we manage and protect the world’s vital water, soil, air and energy resources,
- How do we help people through contribution to food production, quality and safety, storage, processing, transport, packaging and marketing,
- How best can we avoid environmental degradation, conserve natural resources and control pollution,
- How do we reduce drudgery of work for farmers, ensure labour productivity whilst enabling more timely operations for a better production,
- How can we add value to our farm products so as to extract the maximum attainable value from our produce,
- How do we plan, implement, monitor, evaluate and control integrated agricultural activities and optimize utilisation of resources to achieve all the aforementioned concerns?
If you do find yourself constantly asking yourself these questions, then, with a sound advanced mathematics and physics background, you can be a substantive agricultural engineering practitioner or academia.
How does one become an Agricultural Engineer?
The process of becoming an engineer generally starts with acquiring a bachelor's degree in agricultural and or biosystems engineering from any accredited universities, such as; University of Kwazulu Natal, University of Zimbabwe, Chinhoyi University of Technology, University of Venda etc. On completion one becomes a candidate engineer, Graduate engineer under a local engineering board such as Zimbabwe Institute of Engineers(ZIE) or Engineering Council of South Africa(ECSA) while receiving professional training for about two to three years to become a licensed Professional Engineers who can offer their services directly to the public. One might choose to become an academic by proceeding to do postgraduate studies (your masters and doctorate) after the first degree
Prospects
Engineering is a STEM subject, highly sought and well paid. However, Agricultural Engineering is an area of relatively low growth and limited jobs. A postgraduate qualification will improve your employability considerably, but you should look on the periphery and outside the immediate subject area. Academia may be one route available to you, but it is one of the lowest paid roles with this type of qualification.
Where Can This Career Take Me?
Agricultural engineers may advance to supervisory and management positions over time. Some go into sales; explaining machinery and products to potential customers, and helping with product planning, installation, and use. Some engineers work in food processing companies, machinery manufacturers, agricultural engineering and hydrology firms, government agricultural and water departments, research institutes, renewable energy firms, irrigation and dam construction, agri-structures construction firms, consultancy firms as well as banks to mention but a few.
What Can Agricultural Engineering do for Southern Africa?
To put the role of Agricultural Engineers into perspective, let's consider Israel. In monetary terms, Israel produces about 70% of its food requirements, exporting about $800 million worth of fresh produce and processed foods. All this is a far cry from the situation a century ago when Jews began resettling in what is now known as Israel. Their first efforts were directed towards reclaiming the mostly semi-arid land, much of which was rendered untillable by deforestation, soil erosion and neglect. Rocky fields were cleared and terraces built in the hilly regions; swampland was drained, and systematic reforestation begun; soil erosion was counteracted, and salty land washed to reduce soil salinity. Much of this work is attributed to the prowess of their agricultural engineers working hand-in-glove with a committed and forward-looking community leadership and culture. To date, Israel has developed most of the water and agricultural technology like drip irrigation yet the country is largely a dessert, thanks to the field of Agricultural Engineering.
In my next article, we will delve deeper into the field and its specific role in regional economic development and spearheading agrarian reforms in Southern Africa and some case studies as well. Part of it will be shared experiences from professional engineers and highlights of the impact that modern technology is having in Agriculture.
