COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN BIOLOGICAL AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING

摘要

The discipline of biological & agricultural engineering (BAE) has contributed significantly to the mechanization and efficiency of agriculture, the production of food and fiber, and the distribution and control of water during its 100+ year history. The work of biological and agricultural engineers through state Agricultural Experiment Stations and Cooperative Extension has ensured that the problems facing agriculture are solved using an applied research model in which the direct beneficiaries of the research (usually farmers) have input in the direction of such research. Although our discipline and our work have been successful, challenges in the discipline remain due to our society becoming increasingly urban with fewer people involved in agriculture, and with decreasing funding and increasing accountability for our research and outreach work. I believe that our discipline can continue to offer solutions to timely problems in rural and urban environments and can continue to flourish in national and international arenas by embracing community engagement. Because the traditional focus of biological and agricultural engineering has been mission oriented research geared toward direct recipients (users) of this research with the input of this constituency, our discipline is poised to work within this context to continue research, teaching, and outreach activities of relevance to pressing societal problems. I suggest that we consider several paradigm shifts that will position our discipline for future success: 1. That we extend the focus of our outreach efforts beyond those directly involved in production agriculture 2. That we use teaching as a vehicle for engaging with community (in addition to research and outreach) 3. That we move toward Boyer's model of the scholarship of engagement, with seamless transitions among research, teaching, and outreach activities. This paper provides background information on community engagement, including principles of community-based design, discusses the aforementioned paradigm shifts in detail, and provides recommendations for BAE professionals to implement such shifts.