Welcome Message from the President

 

Photo of Irenilza Alencar Naas, PresidentDear 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