Food is an integral factor in the survival of man and animals on Earth and as such there are measures put in place to help boost productivity in the agricultural sector. Agricultural Engineering is basically a field of study that involves a number of activities such as the design and manufacture of farm machines, design, and construction of farm structures, production of food processing and storage facilities, design and construction of irrigation systems. Basically, agricultural engineers are very important in the process of food production in the whole world and will remain so for a very long time.
For someone looking to pursue a carrier in agricultural engineering here are some fields to look out for while selecting a major in Nigeria: A) Soil and Water Engineering B) Post-harvest/ food processing Engineering C) Farm structure design D) Farm power and machinery Engineering.
SOIL AND WATER ENGINEERING
This is a field of Agricultural engineering that involves all manner of activities related to Soil Mechanics and Hydrology. It is basically about understanding the soil and its properties and their relationship with air, water, and effective stresses in soil samples and particles that occur naturally on the Earth's surface.
POST-HARVEST/ FOOD PROCESSING ENGINEERING
This field of agricultural engineering involves all activities carried out immediately after the farm produce is harvested. It involves activities like drying, winnowing, salting, threshing, pasteurization, and bio-preservation. It also involves the process of efficient transportation and storage of food.
FARM STRUCTURE DESIGN
This field of agricultural engineering involves the design and construction of farm structures in general. Structures like farmhouses, retaining walls, silos, rhombus, ranches, and ponds are some of the most important in agriculture and as such are given optimum attention by engineers.
FARM POWER AND MACHINERY ENGINEERING
Electrical and mechanical power are both required for the effective management of agricultural processes and as such it requires highly skilled and dedicated personnel to work. Farm power is all about the design and construction of farm machinery and also optimizing power generation in and around a farm settlement. It ranges from the manufacture of tractors to the manufacture of wind and water turbines for power generation for various agricultural processes.
CONCLUSION
I am currently a student of agricultural engineering at the MICHEAL OKPARA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE UMUDIKE IN ABIA STATE, NIGERIA. I am young and relentless; I want to help make my continent better by first boosting agricultural productivity in any way that I can.
I LOVE AFRICA! I will do whatever I can to improve the standard of living of my fellow Africans.