Agricultural Engineers use engineering principles and apply them to various activities related to agriculture and horticulture.

Work

The work involves improving agricultural farm machinery, farm structures, rural electrification, biogas, water and soil conservation and developing new technologies in the design and manufacture of agricultural products. These engineers look into the mechanisation of agricultural activities in order to improve efficiency in food production.

In addition, agricultural engineers are involved in the production, processing, transportation and preservation of agricultural products. They also work on other issues such as irrigation, conservation of soil and water, drainage and resource planning and the design and construction of infrastructure on farms.

As agricultural activities are becoming increasingly mechanised, the demand for agricultural engineers has also gone up.

Field engineering and service engineering are a part of this stream. Field engineering covers irrigation, drainage and land resource planning, while service engineers mostly deal with the sale, servicing, repairing and the installation of farm machinery.

Although the field of work you choose may vary, as an agricultural engineer, you would need to be in constant touch with the land, which means frequent trips to farms and rural areas if you live in the city.

Attributes

Good numerical abilities, logical thinking, and an understanding of human needs are essential qualities required of an agricultural engineer.

Job opportunities

Employment options in various government organisations such as the irrigation department, the agriculture department, the Food Corporation of India, National Dairy Development Board, National Bank for Rural and Agricultural Development (NABARD) and other banks and agriculture universities and colleges. Agricultural engineers can also find employment in the private sector with companies manufacturing agriculture implements and machinery and voluntary organisations.

If you wish to become an entrepreneur, you can set up production units that manufacture agricultural implements, a consultancy firm, or establish an R&D centre to test seeds, and other agricultural inputs.

Entry

To qualify as an agricultural engineer you need to have a BE degree in agricultural engineering. You can also do your PhD degree from IIT Kharagpur or at IARI (Indian Agricultural Research Institute) at Pusa, New Delhi.

Eligibility

The basic eligibility criteria for admission to the BE/BTech course is 10+2 or its equivalent examination, with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.

Admission to all Engineering courses at the degree level is based on merit/marks secured in the final exams of 10+2 (with science subjects) or on the basis of entrance exams.

The duration of the BE/BTech course is four years while the diploma courses are of 2-3 years' duration.

The course content for agricultural engineering covers basic physical engineering and agricultural sciences. Some of the topics covered include farm machinery, soil and water conservation, irrigation and drainage methods and also dairy engineering.

Educational Institutions

Here are a few of the premier engineering colleges in India:

Indian Institute of Technology (New Delhi, Mumbai, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, and Chennai)

Regional Engineering Colleges ( Warangal, Andhra Pradesh ; Silchar, Assam ; Jamshedpur, Bihar ; Surat, Gujarat ; Kurukshetra, Haryana; Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir; Surathkal, Karnataka ; Calicut, Kerala ; Visvesvaraya REC, Nagpur, Maharashtra ; Rourkela, Orissa ; Jaipur, Rajasthan ; Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu ; Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh ; Durgapur, West Bengal ; Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh ; Jalandhar, Punjab)

Birla Institute of Technology (BITS) - (Pilani and Ranchi.)

Delhi College of Engineering, Delhi.

University of Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttar Pradesh.

Jadavpur University, Kolkata