Agricultural engineering applies engineering knowledge to improve the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of agriculture. It covers topics such as soil conservation, irrigation systems, and farm equipment design. Collaboration with specialists in various areas is necessary to address concerns and issues. The field also involves retrospective reviews and evaluations, including studying ancient agricultural practices. Numerous career opportunities are available in government agencies, private companies, and non-profit organizations.
Agricultural engineering improves the efficiency, safety and environmental sustainability of activities such as agriculture. Members of this discipline apply engineering knowledge to challenges ranging from designing better irrigation systems to soil conservation. Colleges and universities in a number of regions offer agricultural engineering majors or training in related subjects that can be applied to a career in this field. Numerous career opportunities with government agencies, private companies, and non-profit organizations are open to individuals with experience and education in this aspect of engineering.
The activities within this discipline are quite extensive. Environmental topics such as soil, water and air health are a cause for concern, as are more mechanical challenges such as the design and use of agricultural equipment. In agricultural engineering, engineers strive to make agriculture more efficient to improve yields per unit of land and increase the nutritional value of crops. Knowledge of environmental science topics such as soil conditioning is necessary for some people working in this field.
Sustainability is also a topic of interest to many specialists in this discipline. Cultivation techniques must not impoverish or damage the soil. Engineers can develop new approaches to the design and management of farm equipment and structures such as barns, stables, drying sheds, and so on. Their work may also include land reuse and reclamation, such as converting wetlands to farmland and vice versa. Natural resources must be managed responsibly to ensure they are available for future generations, and this is an important part of agricultural engineering work.
Various engineering disciplines can contribute to agricultural engineering activities. Projects may require the collaboration of specialists in a number of areas to cover a range of possible issues and concerns that may arise. A more efficient irrigation system, for example, may require the input of hydrologists, soil scientists and other specialists as well as engineers to design and implement the system. These scientists work together to create systems that meet the needs of agriculture while protecting the environment.
Members of this camp may also engage in retrospective reviews and evaluations. Agricultural engineering may have a forensic component when people want to know how and why crops fail or need to explore other topics, such as inadequate disaster response. It can sometimes involve reviewing historical and archaeological evidence to learn more about the agricultural practices used by previous human societies and what may have gone wrong with these practices. An agricultural engineering major, for example, can study ancient aqueducts to learn how societies like the Romans moved about and used water.
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