The fundamental aim of the Career for Agriculture is the formation of professionals in Agriculture with a degree in Engineering. This science intents to develop techniques that are able to increment the outputs of the agricultural and farming systems in search of quality, efficiency and profitability of production, at its time preserving the fertility of the soil and the handling of the environment. Given the characteristics of the speciality, the career has as main methodology ¨learn how to produce¨, with the intention to offer the students the possibility to increase their knowledge by truly significant experiences which permit the construction of new knowledge and decision taking. This in such a way the student performs a leading role in the process of understanding and assumption of ones responsibility.
The scientific and technological knowledge that the graduate obtains, he will use as tools for the execution of projects in agricultural production and generation of techniques for decision taking.
The application of the social-economical and political information will allow him to organise and capacitate the producers to be promoters of their own development and in this way to elaborate profiles and to carry out business projects and ideas in an enterprising way. This in a same way this knowledge will permit the graduate to take part in the post harvest use of and in the transformation processes in agricultural and farming products to give added value as well as applying the scientific method and other practical procedures to resolve problems in agricultural production incorporating rigor scientific elements or by using practical experiences and modern knowledge.
Occupies in Agricultural Engineering
Given the theoretic-practical knowledge of our graduates, they can use the knowledge in statistics, physiology, climatologic and human resources to carry out an adequate practice in agricultural systems; computer science and biotechnology as tools for the execution of agricultural projects and generation of technologies for decision taking. They can make, evaluate and carry out agricultural projects and business ideas in an innovative way and apply their knowledge in agro-industrial management, to face and successfully enter a competitive economy and how to use social, economic and political information in order to organise and qualify the producers to be promoters of their own development.
They have the competence to give recommendations and suggestions ,with professional criticism, about the agronomic field, inspect agricultural installations and strengthen systems for agricultural production.
Working field Agricultural engineering
The graduates, for having a high theoretic -practical general education, specialized in ¨sustainable production systems¨, can work in a very wide range of agricultural ventures, in investigation, extension, agro-industry and they can even, because of their education in enterprising, begin their own venture on a technological base.
Importance of Agricultural Engineering for the country
Agriculture in Costa Rica is an activity deeply ingrained into the social organisation of the country and is part of the economy.
For both reasons it deserves to be adequately appreciated, so the development will be a political topic for the state and a compromise for society.
If one adds the fact that agriculture and all the productive activities require to be practiced in harmony with the conservation of the natural resources, abounds the reasons to push the development of this activity forwards with a future vision.
The policies of the government have been to assign agriculture and rural means to an strategically and prior character in the development of the country, giving importance to the local participation based on equal rights and conservation of the environment as a way to improve the agricultural and farming competitiveness in the regional and national field.
According to the statement of the Ministry of Agriculture ¨the interest of the Government is the stance of the Agricultural Sector, as a key-sector inside the National Political Agenda and as a way of life that contributes to the development of rural means, ensuring the social peace and the conservation of natural resources¨.
The new requirements of agriculture also supposes a challenge for the agricultural education (basic, medium and professional), which makes it necessary to form professionals and engineers capable of occupy themselves with efficacy in the whole agricultural-productive chain, talented with an entrepreneurial attitude and the necessary skills to realize independent apprenticeship.
All this makes them to be revolutionists in agricultural practices, guaranteeing that the present and future generations count with the necessary natural resources to maintain and improve their quality of life.
Resources and facilities the career offers
The career for Agriculture of the ITCR is carried out at the department of San Carlos, which has one of the most beautiful campus´ in the country. This campus is located in Santa Clara de Florencia; San Carlos, which, at 200 meter above sea level, has a humid tropical climate with average temperatures of 26ºC and 3600 mm of rain.
To develop the academic activities, supporting the practical knowledge, the School Of Agriculture counts with the Programme of Agriculture, divided in the units: Meat and livestock , Cultivation, Animal Producing, Plants for butchering and Agricultural Machinery.
All these activities are carried out in an area of 500 hectares. Here, they use around 70 hectares for cultivation, around 700 pieces of cattle (for meat) are exploited, 300 pigs, they milk 40 cows and where approximately 6000 pieces of cattle and 4000 pigs are slaughtered per year.
The unit of Agricultural Machinery give service to the drying process of grains to the agriculturists and helps the other units in the preparation of land and the cultivation harvest.
Furthermore, to administrate, promote and support investigations, it counts with a Investigation and Development Center for the Sustainable Agriculture in the Humid Tropics (CIDASTH) with contains of, among others, laboratories in: Biotechnology, Agronomic Mathematics; Soil and Fertilizers; Nutrition and Agrostology; Quality of Meat and Entomology and Pathology, which are used by students and academics in teaching and investigation.
Additionally, there is access to the computers of the institute and other services like Internet, a library, eating hall, students residencies, sports area and scholarships are offered.
Academic programs
As indicated, the career of Agricultural Engineering offers the academic degree of Licenciatura with the possible exit to Bachelor. Nevertheless, the School of Agriculture has developed a programme inter-university for post-degree at distance named ¨Doctorade in Natural Science for the Development¨, formed by three national universities, among which the Costa Rican Institute of Technology (School of Agriculture), the State University at Distance (UNED) and the National University (UNA), in cooperation with the National Independent University of Mexico (UNAM), the University of Chapingo (UACh), both from Mexico and the National Independent University of Leon, Nicaragua (UNAN-Leon).