Prof.Reidy
Herrera
Ing.
Agroindustrial Engineering
UNEFA.
AGROINDUSTRIAL
ENGINEERING
(English
version)
The
"Agroindustrial Engineering" or "Engineering in
Agroindustry", is the Engineering that based on the Basic
Sciences, such as Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology,
Cross-disciplinary Sciences such as Biochemistry, Biotechnology,
Physicochemistry, Engineering Sciences such as Thermodynamics,
Mechanics, Electromagnetism, Informatics, Economic Sciences and
Administrative Sciences, applies them to the Design of Plants,
Installations and Agroindustrial Equipment , Design and supervision
of productive processes for the selection of raw materials,
Postharvest, Storage, transformation of raw materials of biological
origin and Industrial waste treatment, quality management processes,
quality control and national and international agroindustrial
marketing.
The
various branches of agroindustry are classified in Food
Agroindustries (Livestock Industries, Dairy Industries, Horticultural
Industries, etc.) and Non-Food Agroindustries (Biofuel Industries,
Tobacco Industry, Leather Industry, Wood Industry, etc.). The
professional who holds it receives the title of Agroindustrial
Engineer or Engineer in Agroindustries.
Within
this Engineering, is in Chile Particularly the Agroindustria Civil
Engineering or Civil Engineering in Agroindustry, where the
distinctive "Civil" emphasizes its strong theoretical and
practical instruction in the field of Civil Engineering (Design and
construction of agroindustrial plants, Installations and Equipments),
managerial, administrative and economic. given its complexity, it is
considered to be a superior engineering and in some countries such as
Scandinavia is considered equivalent to a Master's degree in
Technology, generally its academic education lasts for six years. The
professional that exercises it is called Agroindustrial Civil
Engineer or Civil Engineer in Agroindustries.
Origin
of Agroindustrial Engineering
The
first faculty of Agroindustrial Engineering dates back to the
University of Chapingo in Mexico.
Background
In
the specific case of the Department of Agroindustrial Engineering
(DAE), an institution whose foundation dates back to 1924, its
curriculum has been revised several times in accordance with defined
historical phases:
A)
Stage of initiation.
The
specialty of Agricultural Industries arises in 1924 as an orientation
of the carreer
of Agricultural Engineer. At this stage the empirical teaching on the
scientific was dominated and the curriculum was dispersed in a
generalist common trunk, where agronomic subjects prevailed, and
there were few subjects related to the specialty; The contents were
eminently empirical. This curricular state corresponded to a low
agroindustrial development in the country.
In
this initial stage, the need to include courses related to the
transformation of agricultural products within farms can be observed,
since agribusiness as an independent productive unit was still
incipient. In this period the specialty showed ups and downs for its
full establishment.
B)
Stage of consolidation or development.
From
1957 there was a radical change of the career in the context of the
Chapingo Plan. The Unit or Department of Education, Research and
Service in Agricultural Industries was created and a comprehensive
review of the curriculum was carried out, which focused on the
strengthening of chemical and biological materials, the introduction
of engineering and training courses. projects, as well as reinforcing
the technologies, which acquired a more scientific and technical
approach in its foundations.
Under
this curriculum, agricultural industries were understood to mean
"activities carried out by rural enterprises, made up of
agricultural producers who are dedicated to conserving, benefiting or
transforming farm products to protect and increase their income"
(Academic Structure of the DAE , 1980). This conception reflects a
clear orientation of the career towards the technical support of the
agroindustrias of producers as well as the notion of the agronomist
as professional of State.
In
this period (1960/78), the country was in a stage of high rates of
economic growth and agricultural prosperity, which favored, within
the framework of the import substitution model, the promotion of
industrialization and agroindustry.
In
this context, a strengthening of the administrative or academic
structure of the Unit or Department began with the emergence of the
sections (pilot plants, laboratories and planning) and the creation
of the Academic Commission of the DAE (ACADAE). Thus, in 1970 there
were already 6 sections (Pilot Plants, Laboratories, Projects,
Engineering, Quality Control and Agronomy), which would be
transformed into areas in 1980 (Agronomic, Technological,
Chemical-Biological, Economic, Engineering and Control Quality).
To
this academic-administrative strengthening were added, from 1973,
measures that had more impact on the structures of government and
administrative than on the academic. Thus, in 1973 the Department of
Agricultural Industries was formed and acquired autonomy. The
Departmental Assembly and the Departmental Council are created, as
the highest governing bodies.
From
1981 onwards the academic-administrative structure became more
complex and the sub-divisions acquired importance in the control of
the areas, giving a certain independence between the areas and the
Head of the Department, passing this one to carry out more activities
of coordination, representation and management.
Indeed,
in academic terms, after the radical change of the curriculum in
1957, only changes were made to various subjects and areas, mainly
engineering and technology.
In
1988 a new conception of the career was acquired on the basis of the
clarification of the concept of agro industry, understood as: "The
social process that conditions, conserves and / or transforms raw
materials whose origin is agricultural and forestry production."
As well as the fields of professional action of the graduate and his
profile The curriculum is restructured by adopting as a basic unit of
coordination between subjects to the curricular lines, being
conceived these as the topics or large items of training that serve
as a backbone to bring together Different subjects. In general terms,
the development of the areas of Engineering, Administration and
specific Technologies is promoted; In addition, study trips acquired
a curricular character when considering courses with field phase,
although agronomic subjects declined in number.
The
curricular modifications of 1988 took into account the changes
generated in the environment from the implementation of the new
economic model that was introduced from the economic crisis of the
debt of 1982. In this way, it stimulated a profile of graduates with
greater Orientation towards the productive sector, not just the
state.
Nowadays,
after more than a decade of the last revision, the current curriculum
requires a new update, since it does not correspond to the needs of
the agribusiness at the end of the century.
That
is why we conceive in the DAE the need for a curriculum that makes a
qualitative leap towards a mature program, that is, that it is
organically linked to the productive sector; Which has at least one
postgraduate program; And that produces diverse results of its
activity: in the investigation, in the generation and transfer of
technology (prototypes and technological packages) and in the
diffusion of the culture
In
synthesis, during the 75 years of the Agroindustrial Engineering
career (1924 to 1998), 62 generations have graduated, which shows the
initial ups and downs of the same, mainly in the 40s, also formed
more than 1200 graduates, who have contributed in Its time to the
development of national agribusiness.
This
account shows the consolidation of the career with a well-defined
object of study, agribusiness, and with a predominant sphere of
action: agroindustrial planning, promotion and development,
previously fomented by governmental agencies and currently by the
initiative of the productive sector.
Certainly,
a strength of the Department of Agroindustrial Engineering lies in
its long tradition, its pioneering character and the leadership it
preserves in the field of agroindustrial education; However, in order
to maintain this strength, it is necessary to make important changes
in order to respond to the new social demands, in accordance with the
challenges of higher education.
