By Thabo Mavundza – President: South African Institute of Agricultural Engineers 

The past two years has by far been the most challenging of recent times. We have lost family members, colleagues, friends and income, and our professional exposure and growth has been halted due to the significant adjustments that society has had to make in living with the Covid-19 pandemic and to lessen the impact thereof. 

In addition to this, we continue to experience hardship due to the devastating war between Russia and Ukraine, and consequently have seen a huge spike in energy and food prices in the recent months. This has placed substantial pressure on South Africa’s economy and the world at large. 

While still dealing with the impact of this war, parts of KwaZulu-Natal was impacted by devastating and catastrophic flooding. Not only have more than 400 people lost their lives as result, but many communities have been ravaged and left without homes, food, water and employment.   

It has been through our resilience and courage as South Africans and our commitment to our beautiful country that we are now on the verge of overcoming the pandemic, and it will be through our ongoing support of one another and strength as a country that we overcome the most recent strife.  The South African Institute of Agricultural Engineering would like to thank all its members, all our fellow engineers and all South African citizens for their contribution towards mitigating the impact of the recent pandemic and disasters.

On this note, we are delighted to announce that the South African Institute of Agricultural Engineers in partnership with South African National Convention Bureau and Limpopo Tourism brings to you the long over-due CPD accredited Biennial Symposium 2022. The event will be held from the 21st to 23rdSeptember, at Fairview Hotel in Tzaneen of Limpopo Province, South Africa. 

This event has over the years housed over 200 local and international engineers and scientists, whom have shared knowledge and insight on local and international case studies, cutting-edge technology in the agricultural sector, and, new, exciting and innovative solutions in the agricultural industry. This year, we expect nothing less and the South African Institute of Agricultural Engineers Council calls on all interested parties, active in the agricultural sector to attend this world class event. 

The theme is “The Rise of Engineering Agriculture” – welcome to the future, today, it arrived yesterday! 

The symposium will address (but not be limited to) relevant current techniques, tools, innovations, and projects in the followings area: 

Energy Conservation / Sustainable Energy. Food Processing And Preservation. Water Resource Management. Drought Impact Mitigation. Agricultural Structures. Agricultural Machinery And Mechanization. Environmental Engineering. Covid Impact On Agricultural Operations And System. Impact Of Flood On Agricultural Infrastructure. Engineering Solutions For Rural Farmers. 4thIndustrial Revolution In Agricultural Engineering.   

Registration

The registration form is available from Chikondi Gurira.

Accommodation is offered on a sharing basis of two to three delegates per room. A letter of invitation from SAIAE is available for delegates that require this for their employers.

Fees

The fees for the Symposium will be included in the next announcement.

Important dates

25 May 2022                                      Symposium registration period opens

30 June 2022                                     Abstracts submitted

15 July 2022                                      Authors notified of abstract acceptance

25 July 2022                                      Preliminary symposium program available

30 July 2022                                      Proof of payment for all registrations received

21 September 2022                           Symposium commences

23 September 2022                           Symposium closes