Welcome Message from the President
Dear
colleagues, friends and members of CIGR, It is an honor to preside over
the CIGR during the next two years for several reasons, and in particular,
for being the first Latin American, and the first woman to be in this position
since its inception in 1930. My first contact with CIGR was during the
1980 CIGR World Congress in the USA when I was a doctoral student at the
Michigan State University; then, I was very impressed with the possibilities
of uniting professionals from all over the world having a common goal, which
was the promotion of the development of agricultural processes in order
to support food production more efficiently.
The Founding Declaration enhances the role of CIGR by promoting liaison,
coordination and initiative. The global scenario has changed since then
in several aspects; however, the need for Agricultural Engineering concepts
and its applications have never been needed as much as it is today. Today,
the entire world is dependent on biological and agricultural systems for
the production of food, energy and fiber, and in the conservation of natural
resources.
Nowadays, our qualified professionals
are required to contribute to the rapidly expanding technology base, as
well as to play important roles in decision-making processes.
New solutions at different levels
are still required for old problems in order to ensure the development of
rural communities, and to alleviate the problem of lack of food for every
single person in world. Studies conducted by the World Bank and the United
Nations have shown that appropriate technology is critical for bringing
more than three billion people out of poverty; further, engineering response
must match the user requirements, complexity and scale; moreover, it must
be designed to promote self-reliance, cooperation and responsibility. Developed
countries are investigating improvements in agricultural productivity through
the use of the most modern technological tools, and it is engineering processes
that provide the answers with new effective products having innovative design.
Agricultural Engineering has played
a significant role in the industrialization of world agriculture, and it
was certainly the most effective tool of development in the last century.
People will always need food, energy, fibers, and clean drinking water to
survive; and ultimately, with the increasing world population, commitment
to sustainable agricultural production is urgent. It is my belief that Agricultural
Engineering with its multidisciplinary approach still has the answers for
making the world a better place.
During this term, I intend to
reinforce the interactions among the CIGR Members by supporting actions
through the Technical Sections, which play a strong part in involving creative
thinking regarding specific topics. My approach will focus on bringing engineering
to the daily lives of people, and to attempt to motivate all the members
towards achieving this goal.
Please accept my whole-hearted
invitation toward developing new ideas together for ensuring a brighter
future.
President of CIGR
Irenilza de Alencar Nääs
President of CIGR
