ABSTRACT
The Green Revolution that has propelled many countries in Asia and Latin America into new trajectories of economic development, improved food security, and widespread poverty reduction has not had the same effect in Africa. Sustainable intensification including mechanisation, irrigation, fertiliser application, the use of improved plant and animal genetic resources through modern biotechnology, soil management, and other modern agricultural technologies have all remained very low in most of Africa. Agricultural engineering education, research, and practice have critical roles to play in modernising and transforming agri-food systems in Africa from subsistence smallholders to commercial agribusinesses. Africa needs its own agile and skilled workforce that can embrace and apply modern engineering technologies across the agri-food value chain. And as the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Olusegun Obasanjo (2016), aptly put it: “But one thing is clear to me as I return to farming: to achieve its potential, African agriculture needs a fresh infusion of innovation and talent”. Both the education and research of agricultural engineers must tackle the developmental challenges facing Africa. In this chapter, a set of 100 top-ranking questions of importance to the future of agricultural engineering in Africa have been presented based on an extensive desk-top study of relevant literature. These questions do not address all the challenges facing agricultural, biosystems, and biological engineering education, research, and practices in Africa; however, they provide the needed foundation for future efforts to grow agricultural engineering in Africa (and other developing regions). Providing answers to these top-ranking questions must begin with Africans – especially agricultural, biosystems, bioresources and biological engineers – while recognising the critical importance of partnerships, cooperation, collaboration, and networks.
