The Concept of Agricultural Engineering: Its Importance and Specialties
Life has many pillars that cannot continue without them, and one of the most important pillars of life is agriculture because without agriculture we will not be able to obtain the necessities of life. Can you imagine our life without agriculture?
Of course it is not possible to continue living then; therefore, it must be given great attention through the use of the latest techniques and methods, whether in the cultivation and breeding of plants or in the care of animals. Also, like the case in every field in this life, there are specialists who are interested in it, so there is also a person who is interested in the field of agriculture, i.e., the agricultural engineer. Therefore, in this article we will learn about the agricultural engineering discipline, its importance, and its specialties in practical life.
The concept of agricultural engineering:
It is one of the many engineering disciplines that combines many other engineering disciplines, such as mechanical, electrical, civil, and chemical engineering as well. Agricultural engineering has become associated with many other branches, and it is not limited to the idea of growing crops as it is linked in the minds of some of us.
Agricultural engineering includes various sciences related to human activity and the use of resources in society. This science works primarily to find solutions and reduce problems related to the environment, food shortage, and water scarcity. This is done through the application of advanced scientific theories and the development of modern technical means in the field of irrigation, agriculture, and the environment as well.
Agricultural engineering courses:
The duration of study in this discipline is often 5 years, depending on the teaching system followed at the university. The duration may vary from one university to another, but the academic courses are very similar in different universities. Among the courses taught in the first three years, we mention the following:
- Physics.
- General, organic, and analytical chemistry.
- Information systems and programming.
- General botany.
- General zoology.
- Ecology.
- Agricultural statistics.
- Agricultural economics.
- Insects.
- Poultry.
- Soil science.
- Plant diseases and their control and prevention.
- Animal breeding and care.
- Weeds.
- Field crops.
- Medicinal and aromatic plants.
- Genetics and biology.
- Agricultural machinery.
- Climatology and meteorology.
- Irrigation and drainage.
Universities that teach agricultural engineering:
Among the universities that teach agricultural engineering in the Arab world, we mention the following:
- King Saud University.
- Cairo University.
- University of Tunis El Manar.
- Jordan University of Science and Technology.
As for the universities that teach agricultural engineering in the world, we mention some of them:
- University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, located in Romania.
- Sichuan University, located in China, is a university specializing in the field of biotechnology and agricultural sciences.
- China Agricultural University, located in Beijing.
- The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, located in Sweden.
- The Royal Agricultural University, located in Britain.
- Cornell University, located in New York.
- Harvard University, located in Cambridge.
Agricultural engineering specialties:
The sub-disciplines of agriculture are numerous, and they are taught in the last two years of university study. They are as follows:
1. Horticulture specialty:
It studies everything related to orchards, including vegetables, fruits, ornamental plants, and landscaping in terms of cultivation methods and appropriate conditions for breeding.
2. Plant protection specialty:
It studies all diseases, insects, fungi, and bacteria that affect various plants and how to treat and prevent them, in addition to vital pests, such as rodents and beneficial insects, such as bees.
3. Field crops specialty:
It is concerned with the study of all types of crops and grains.
4. Food science specialty:
This specialty studies the basic standards of food safety, how it is manufactured, the health conditions that must be met when manufacturing, and monitoring production lines to ensure the safety and quality of food products.
5. Agricultural economics specialty:
It studies the marketing principles of agricultural products, the policies used in agriculture, and how to collect and analyze data.
6. Soil science specialty:
This specialty studies all types of agricultural soils, their characteristics, method of analysis, and how to solve their problems. It also studies the minerals in the earth.
7. Animal production specialty:
It studies how to raise animals of all kinds, such as ruminants or fish, and care for them, and the health conditions that must be provided for them in the breeding places, in addition to the diseases specific to each of them, and methods of prevention and treatment.
8. Rural Engineering specialty:
It specializes in studying agricultural machinery of all kinds, topography, and designing agricultural irrigation and drainage networks.
Importance of agricultural engineering:
As we mentioned above, agriculture secures the basic elements of human life, which are water and food. Accordingly, the specialty of agricultural engineering is very important, and its great importance comes from its role in the following:
1. Production increase:
One of the main goals of this science is to increase production. This is done by studying the methods of cultivating each plant and determining the appropriate conditions for its growth in order to obtain the highest production. In addition, knowing the appropriate conditions for the plant enables the farmer to save effort and time as well and reduces the losses resulting from planting plants in areas unsuitable for their growth, and also enables the plant to be protected from potential pests. Production increase means an increase in money and self-sufficiency.
2. Facilitating farmer work:
Agricultural engineering teaches students the latest and best ways of using agricultural machinery to convey this information to the farmer, so that they will be able to do their agricultural work with machines, and then their work will become easier and save the time required for work. The farmer will be able to do their work with machines alone without the need for many workers to help them.
3. Preserving the environment:
Agricultural engineering teaches students how to use the latest agricultural methods and techniques that increase production without harming the environment. This is with the aim of getting rid of many agricultural habits and methods that cause destruction to the environment without the farmer realizing, such as the indiscriminate use of pesticides or fertilizers, as the farmer often uses a specific pesticide because they see good results when their neighbor spray it without knowing its negative effects on their crop and in the environment. The role of the agricultural engineer here is to provide adequate awareness of the damages resulting from these procedures or to grow a specific crop without knowing if the soil is suitable for it or not.
As for fertilizers, agricultural engineering calls on farmers to use natural organic fertilizers that come from natural sources, such as animal manure or other waste of living organisms, which allows better plant growth and significantly improves soil texture.
4. Supporting the economy:
Increasing agricultural production and achieving self-sufficiency in addition to preserving the environment in the best condition are all elements that support the economy in the country and contribute to its stability. In turn, this contributes to the stability of politics in the country.
5. Revitalizing and developing tourism:
Agricultural engineering works to preserve forests in a decent and clean look, in addition to afforestation in arid places, establishing gardens, and planting trees and ornamental plants in public places such as streets. All of these lead to presenting the country with a very beautiful appearance, which contributes to attracting tourists to the country from all places, as well as revitalizing tourism and its continuous development supports the economy in the country.
Field of work of an agricultural engineer and their functions:
What distinguishes this specialty is the multiplicity of areas in which an agricultural engineer can work after their graduation, which keeps them away from the rather boring routine work, as each field of work differs from the other field, and we will mention to you the following areas of work of an agricultural engineer:
1. Garden design and landscaping:
It is one of the most interesting fields of work in agricultural engineering. Through it, the ornamental plants and flowers suitable for the area in which the garden is designed are selected, and then the location of planting each plant within the garden is chosen so that the garden appears in a decent and comfortable appearance with very consistent colors.
2. Establishing an agricultural nursery:
It is a place where all seeds, seedlings of different plants, or flowers intended to be planted in another place are sold, and some people may find this work a little tiring, as plants need care and caution to grow well, but it makes a good financial profit in return.
3. Work in agricultural research centers:
In which academic or applied research is conducted to raise agricultural production, in both its plant and animal parts, while improving the quality of products, reducing the cost of production, and preserving agricultural natural resources through optimal utilization of them. Often, those who wish to complete postgraduate studies in agricultural engineering work in this field.
4. Animal husbandry supervision:
An agricultural engineer who has studied the specialty of animal production can work as a supervisor for raising different animals. For example, an agricultural engineer may be a supervisor for a poultry shed or an apiary work, or in the field of fish farming. Their task is to provide suitable conditions for breeding and to regulate animal feeding.
5. Agricultural or food processing plants:
An agricultural engineer can work in laboratories specialized in the production of seeds, the manufacture of chemical fertilizers, or all the necessary materials that a plant needs to grow, and the agricultural engineer can also work in food factories to supervise the safety of manufacturing and the quality of food products.
6. Agricultural machinery factories:
Because the agricultural engineer who studied rural engineering has a sufficient idea of the work of agricultural machinery and the method of manufacturing it, and then it is possible for them to work with it.
7. Greenhouse industry:
Which began to develop very significantly as a result of the increasing food needs with the increase in the population in the Arab countries, and the presence of specialists in this field has become necessary in order to determine the plant varieties suitable for cultivation and to find optimal conditions for their growth in the best condition. The principle of greenhouses is to provide artificial conditions for plants to grow so that we can get vegetables and fruits in all seasons, not just in their natural season.
8. Office of agricultural engineering:
Some agricultural engineers prefer independent and private work, and the office's task is to provide agricultural advice and consultations and answer all farmer's questions about how to add fertilizers and their types, or the best irrigation methods, or treat plants from diseases, or other things that every farmer should know.
In conclusion:
If you are curious to know how plants grow and develop and how to take care of animals, and if you are someone who loves nature and feels a sense of belonging to it and loves to preserve the environment and natural resources in their various forms, then do not hesitate to study this specialty. This is because agriculture is one of the things that cannot be dispensed with in our lives, and the entire planet needs it, and this means that it needs specialized people in order to spread awareness about the methods and techniques of agriculture and spread the best modern methods to reduce effort, save time, and increase production.