What is Agricultural Engineering ?
Agricultural Engineering is an engineering branch that involves various disciplines of science and technology to improve the efficiency of food or crop production and processing. Key disciplines of Agricultural Engineering include:
- Mechanical engineering (agricultural machinery and automated machines)
- Soil Science (fertilization, crop nutrients, etc.)
- Environmental Science (irrigation, drainage system)
- Plant biology (plant growth management)
- Animal science (animal farming)
In other words, Agricultural Engineering deals with planning and designing of farm machinery, farm drainage systems, soil improvement techniques, soil management methods, erosion control, irrigation, and water supply. It also deals with the processing of crops and other farm products.
What do Agricultural Engineers do?
Ideally, Agricultural Engineers are not just knowledgeable people, but also have an ability to perform effectively in the diversity of agricultural industries. They adapt to agribusiness environment easily to make farming a safe, innovative, and environment-friendly process.
To improve production of crops and conservation of fertilizers, fuel, and other resources, Agricultural Engineers delve deep into various agricultural operations. They study the use of new agricultural technologies and their methods for flawless implementation when necessary. They design strategies to ensure safety, security, and protection of farmers and farm products.
Agricultural Engineers are also responsible for the development and designing of equipment for land preparation, planting, and harvesting. Their innovation goes into designing of food processing plants, food storage facilities, and animal shelter. With the help of smart technologies, they design existing equipment to optimize the efficiency of agricultural production.
Damage control in agricultural production is one of the key challenges faced by farmers across the world. Agriculture engineers work on this issue diligently to come up with scientific solutions. They find ways to reduce crop loss significantly during processing and packing.
Postharvest activities such as storing, cooling, and ventilation are taken care of by an agriculture engineer. Additionally, they can scrutinize pieces of equipment to check their efficiency for a particular process, budget, and also provide a project outline to achieve goals successfully and promptly.
What are the career options for Agricultural Engineers?
Agricultural Engineers work in an assortment of industries including the federal government, consultation, and agricultural machinery manufacturing. They typically work in offices and also spend considerable time at worksites, both indoors and outdoors. They may attempt to solve the equipment and machinery functioning according to both the manufacturer’s specifications and federal and state regulations by traveling to agricultural settings.
A lot of them also work directly with farmers to resolve particular issues related to production, land, and equipment. Reputed farm organizations occasionally seek the expert consultation of Agricultural Engineers on some topics. Employment opportunities are also provided by these organizations.
They are hired by government outfits to look after their agricultural entities. Agricultural Engineers can also join professional organizations like the American Society of Biological and Agricultural Engineers (ASABE) as its associates.
Owing to growing biological discoveries and smart technologies in the field of agriculture, there is more on the platter for Agricultural Engineers. New discoveries and inventions in the field are being adopted by farmers. Their successful adoption would not have been possible without the expertise of Agricultural Engineers.
Growing population and shrinking lands have raised many concerns. Governments of several countries have taken the issue seriously and have expressed their inclination towards agricultural science to come out of it unscathed. They are running several programs to encourage people to choose Agricultural Engineering as their profession. There is immense opportunity for people in the future in this field as human’s dependency on lands for food production can never drop. In fact, several efforts are being put to increase overall food production capacity of the world. Thus, Agricultural Engineers will always remain in demand.
Top Recruiters
- Amul Dairy
- ITC
- Escorts
- Sriram Honda
- Nestle India
- Proagro Seed
- PRADAN
- Frigorifico Allana
How much does an Agricultural Engineer earn?
In India, in the government sector, a fresh graduate in Agricultural Engineering can look forward to a salary ranging between INR 20,000/- to INR 25,000/- per month. Within 1 to 2 years of experience, the monthly pay scale may rise to INR 30,000/- or more. It depends on the efficiency, the potential, and seniority of the employee.
Agricultural Engineers who are working with private organizations, MNC’s and NGO’s can draw a handsome amount. A lecturer in the field of Agricultural Engineering can start his career from INR 15000/- per month plus other allowance.
Step-by-step guide to pursue a career in Agricultural Engineering
Step 1: Get a degree
First of all, get a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering program from an accredited institution. A bachelor program in Agricultural Engineering has a coursework in the following subjects:
- Calculus
- Physics with calculus applications
- Biology
- Agricultural-specific subjects focus on soil mechanics, hydrology, geology, soil physics, environmental microclimatology, ocean and atmospheric dynamics.
- The undergraduate program in Agricultural Engineering primarily focuses on various technologies used in agricultural processes. Key topics in the coursework are as follows:
- Food, grain, and fuel storage
- Agricultural and power machinery system
- Product processing
- Irrigation management
- Water supply management
In addition to this, Agricultural Engineering students are required to complete the project based on practical designs that students prepare with the help of their faculties.
Many accredited institutions offer various internship programs in agricultural industries. This allows a student to earn a real-world experience, which is helpful for a bright career in this field.
After completing graduation in Agricultural Engineering, one may consider pursuing a master’s degree. Master’s degree in Agricultural Engineering concentrates on research allowing you to specialize in a particular field. It helps you explore greater employment opportunities.
Step 2: Professional License
More and more Agricultural Engineers are opting for a Professional Engineers License to increase their chances of building a better career. However, earning a professional license is not that necessary for an Agricultural Engineer.
Step 3: Certification
Get certified by professional organizations. Several states are also offering certifications for Agricultural Engineers. Institutes such as the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) anchor a range of certification programs in general engineering technology and other specializations.
Step 4: Experience
After receiving certification from an accredited institute, Agricultural Engineers can start handling key projects and gain significant experience in the field. They can also work as an engineering manager and as supervisors for any agricultural company. This field experience plays a pivotal role in their career when they apply for roles such as agricultural equipment sales position.
Top Colleges in India
- College of Agricultural Engineering and Post-Harvest Technology (CAEPHT), Ranipool, Gangtok (East Sikkim Dist)
- Vision Institute of Technology (VIT), Kanpur
- GautamBuddh Technical University, Lucknow
- Mahamaya Technical University, Noida
- GS Mandal’s Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT), Aurangabad
- Pad. Dr. DY Patil College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology and Padamashree Dr. DY Patil College of Agriculture, Kolhapur
- Sai Spurthi Institute of Technology, Khammam
- Poornima University: School of Planning and Architecture, Jaipur
- Triguna Sen School of Technology (TSST), Cachar
- Vaugh School of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, SHIATS, Allahabad
- National Institute of Technology (NITS), Silchar
- National Institute of Technology (NITH), Hamirpur
Click here to view the complete list of colleges.
Entrance Exams
There are various state and national level entrance exams conducted all over India. Following are some major engineering entrance exams aspiring students should know:
- IIT-JEE (Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination)
- GATE (Gratitude Aptitude Test in Engineering)
- BITSAT (Birla Institute of Technology and Science Admission Test)
- CEE Combined Entrance Exam, University of Delhi
Top Coaching Institutes
Career Avenues is a popular GATE coaching institute for Agricultural Engineering in India. The classroom sessions cover at least 5 years of past GATE questions.
Qualities required to be an Agricultural Engineer
1) Adaptability
Adaptability in the agricultural sector is an essential quality that is transferable from one industry to the other and is particularly needed for anyone who is planning to set up a career in agriculture. The learning in school is much different from what you learn on the job; both offer a different platform. Studying the soil in the classroom is just one side of the story whereas making the leap test arable lands in specific regions is the other side of the story. This individual’s assessment could be a major factor deciding the crop conditions regarding a successful crop or a failed crop.
2) Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills are incredibly important for agricultural professionals working in supply chain management. Agricultural Engineers make an important contribution to the agricultural industry as they are required to interact with the farmers who produce raw materials and deliver these goods to other firms. These products are further sent to another location for further manufacturing, or directly to the consumer.
3) Time management and organization skills
Strong time management and organization skills are a huge asset when establishing your career into the agricultural industry. The role of an Agricultural Engineers is to ensure that raw materials are properly transported, stored and delivered from a producer to the wholesaler, then to the consumer. Agriculture professionals work with a diversity of products, as well as a variety of farmers and clients. Thus strong organizational skills may be a strong, decisive factor in one’s success.
4) Tech-savvy
This
doesn’t require you have to buy every new gizmo that arrives in the market, but knowledge of where technology is heading, particularly regarding agricultural practices and techniques is incredibly important. This includes a focus on things such as irrigation, pesticide use, and enhancing methods and techniques of cultivation, harvest, storage and transport.
Pros of this profession
You get to work outside rather than being cooped up in an office
“Did we miss anything? Let us know in comments below.”
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