Agricultural Engineer Career Description
Agricultural engineering is concerned with the environment and our natural resources. Agricultural engineers apply the engineering principles of science and technology, as well as their knowledge of agricultural practice to agricultural problems.
Acting on the understanding that the environment is able to support us provided we use it responsibly, agricultural engineering addresses the interaction between man-made elements and the earth's living, lifesustaining resources:
soil,
water,
plants,
animals.
What am I going to do in this occupation?
Agricultural engineers manage living things and life-giving resources, in such a way as to protect and preserve them by using mechanical, civil and electronic engineering skills to design equipment and buildings which can process them more productively at the same time as ensuring their renewability.
Combining logic and practical thinking with inventiveness and innovation, agricultural engineering is an interesting, challenging and rewarding career option.
The profession is far wider than traditional perceptions of agriculture would have one to believe. In fact, agricultural engineers often practice well beyond the farm boundary, in areas such as water resource management, forestry, mining and rehabilitation, food processing, peri-urban and rural development, machine development and manufacturing.
With a degree in agricultural engineering a person can choose from a wide range of options in each of these fields, with job functions including management, development, design, consulting, research, testing, planning, teaching and counselling. They work as specialists in private consultancies, large corporations, government and non-government organisations, and some become engineering managers of large farms or estates.
Requirements
What kind of personality do I need? Prospective agricultural engineers should be proficient in Mathematics and Physical Science since the application of these is important to all engineers. They must also work well with people, be creative, have an analytical mind and a capacity for detail. The ability to speak more than one language is an advantage. They should have a keen interest in agricultural activities and recognise a challenge to improve agricultural production by means of better engineering methods and equipment.
Where can I work?
Public Sector:
» Department of Agriculture.
» ARC, Institute for Agricultural Engineering.
» Development organizations.
Private Sector:
» Agricultural co-operatives.
» Manufacturers of agricultural equipment.
» Fertiliser and irrigation companies.
» Farming companies.
» Industry service organisations such as the sugar industry.
Consulting agricultural engineering firms have come into operation over the past number of years and are in need of agricultural engineers.
Can I work for myself in this occupation?
Qualified agricultural engineers with the necessary experience can work as consultants for one or more of the above-mentioned firms and organizations, or own or manage their own farming enterprise.
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