Curricula Design and Reform of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABE) in EU Member and Candidate States

Abstract

The process of international harmonisation of degree study programs in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABE) was started by Prof. Giuseppe Pellizzi during the CIGR (Congrès International du Génie Rural/International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering) 1989 Conference and was continued by Prof. Pierluigi Febo, both in EU, within EurAgEng (European Society of Agricultural Engineers) SIG RD12 – Education and Communication, and at a global level, within CIGR WG1 (now WG3) – Agricultural Engineering University Curricula Harmonization (Comparetti & Febo, 2018a, b). Then, four thematic networks were effective: 1) USAEE-TN (University Studies of Agricultural Engineering in Europe – A Thematic Network), comprising 31 HEIs (Higher Education Institutions) from 27 countries, from 2002 to 2006; 2) consortium POMSEBES (Policy Oriented Measures in Support of the Evolving Biosystems Engineering Studies in USA – EU), comprising eight EU and four USA HEIs, from 2006 to 2008; 3) ERABEE-TN (Education and Research in Biosystems Engineering in Europe – A Thematic Network), comprising 35 HEIs from 27 countries, from 2007 to 2010; 4) consortium TABE.NET (Trans-Atlantic Biosystems Engineering Curriculum and Mobility), comprising four EU and two USA HEIs, from 2009 to 2013. Some examples of significant changes relevant to ABE degree study programs occurred in EU member and candidate states after the end of the ERABEE-TN project: they were the curricula established by the HEIs of 20 EU member and candidate states, i.e. Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Spain and Turkey (Comparetti & Febo, 2021). This chapter shows the state of the art on ABE degree study programs in EU member and candidate states 23 years after the last overview, presented during the AgEng2000 Conference, i.e. “The University Structure and Curricula on Agricultural Engineering – An Overview of 36 Countries”, Editors Pierluigi Febo and Da-Wen Sun (Febo & Sun, 2000).