ABSTRACT
The development of the Agricultural Mechanization Study Programme in the universities in Indonesia, the largest archipelago with the fourth biggest population in the world, from one province to another and from one island to another since 1957 is described as well as its transformation into Agricultural Engineering (AE) and Agricultural Biosystems Engineering (ABE) study programmes. The evolution of divisions as a consequence of the transformation of the initial study programme into the present study programme is narrated along with the current research scope of the AE/ABE. The differences and similarities with the AE/ABE education system in Europe and US are discussed, emphasising the challenges and characteristics of AE/ABE curricula in Indonesia. The significant contribution of over 25,000 BS graduates of Agricultural Mechanization, AE, and ABE study programmes from 17 universities to agriculture, economic, and community development in Indonesia and the world is illustrated. The imprint of the graduates’ careers has left positive marks in ministries, universities, public and private industries, financial institutions, regional governments, and global organisations. The emerging technologies in ABE marked the research carried out in the AE/ABE study programme divisions. Initiatives for alternating undergraduate research as part of the Final Project of the AE/ABE curricula are analysed, including the role of a university business incubator that could assist the AE/ABE graduates interested in building a startup. In closing, a roadmap for ABE education in the future is visualised to ensure food security and a better living environment.
