Agriculture is the industry which has always supplied mankind with food, fibre for clothing, and shelter. It is recognized as a primary industry because agricultureal products have a universal need. This primary industry has certain problems that require engineering solutions. Agricultural and Bio-Resources Engineering is that branch of Engineering that applies the principles of engineering to solve certain problems often encountered in agriculture. With the high demand for more raw materials both for industry and human consumption, the demand for agricultural engineers increases. The philosophy of the training programme in Agricultural and Bio-Resources Engineering is aimed at integrating teaching, research and extention in agriculture into a unified curriculum to solve real and practical problems of the environment it serves. Thus, the department takes the advantage of its being a department in IAR which is heavily involved in research and extension. Students are thus given final year projects which are IAR funded projects for possible solutions before the B.Eng (Agric) degree is awarded.
The Agricultural Enginering curricllum emphasizes physical sciences, general engineering courses, mathematics, general agriculture and some aspects of humanities. A general degree is thought to be appropriate based on the current job situation students are often encouraged to take up final year projects in the areas of their interest. Thus, it is hoped, they may determine the area of specialization at higher degree level. These areas are:
1. Farm Power and Machinery
2. Soil and Water Engineering
3. Farm Structures and Environmental Control
4. Agricultural Processing and Storage .