Food security and safety: The role of agricultural engineering

Food Security means that all people in the world have safe and nutritious food all the time. Agricultural Engineers have a major role to play in many links in the food chain including land preparation, production, storage, transport, and value-added processing; and thereby contribute significantly to food security. "Food Safety" means the absence of any microbial, chemical residue or other contaminant that may make people sick. This is an exciting time to be an agricultural engineer. Our profession is addressing great challenges facing humanity such as ensuring an adequate and safe food supply for an expanding world population; and managing and protecting the world's vital water, soil, air, and energy resources. Current priorities of agricultural engineers that relate to food security and safety are outlined in the mission statements and objectives of the seven technical sections of CIGR, the International Commission of Agricultural Engineering. Agricultural engineers should be part of the interdisciplinary teams dealing with the world's major problems such as feeding the world, improving income distribution so that everyone will have the purchasing power to afford a balanced and nutritious diet (food security), natural resource conservation and efficient management, maintaining and improving the environment, and maintaining food safety.