On 29 October 2025, we celebrated 75 years of Agricultural Engineering Excellence @ UKZN and 70 years of Graduating Agricultural Engineers. Celebrating our History, Cultivating Our Future
From 1948, the discipline of Agricultural Engineering at UKZN has been cultivating innovative minds, we have been at the forefront of agricultural technology and sustainability. Today we continue to push boundaries, with our under graduates and postgraduates, having a significant contribution in our society and we are internationally recognized for developing innovative solutions for global agricultural challenges. From field to fork our graduates are shaping the future of agriculture and engineering. As we celebrate 75 years of excellence, we are not just looking back we are sowing the seeds for tomorrow’s breakthroughs. Join us in honouring 75 years of agricultural engineering to cultivating a sustainable future together.
Professor Umezuruike Linus Opara graduated with degrees in Agricultural Engineering (BEng, First Class Honours & MEng cum laude) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and PhD from Massey University, New Zealand. He is an Emeritus Professor of Postharvest Technology at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, where he recently completed the 15-year cycle of the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI).
He is an Emeritus Professor of Postharvest Technology at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, where he recently completed the 15-year cycle of the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI). During this period, he was a Distinguished Professor, held the SARChI Chair in Postharvest Technology, and founded the Africa Institute for Postharvest Technology. He is currently the foundation Executive Director of the UNESCO International Centre for Biotechnology, Nsukka, Nigeria – focusing on food security, bioresources conservation and tropical diseases in Africa. He has published over 450 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and conference papers, edited two books – including “Agricultural, Biosystems and Biological Engineering Education”, and graduated over 72 PhD and MSc students in universities in South Africa, the Sultanate of Oman, and New Zealand. He was recognised in 2019 and 2021, respectively, as a “Highly Cited Researcher” by the Web of Science Group, with current H-index of 75 (Google Scholar) and 65 (Scopus).
Among many international, continental, and national awards for his sustained research productivity and impact, has was honoured as Laureate of the African Union Kwame Nkrumah Continental Award for Life and Earth Sciences – Africa’s highest research award for senior researchers, Winner of the Impact Research and Science in Africa Award for “excellence in research & building Africa’s human resources capacity” by RUFORUM, and recently the inaugural Laureate of the AFRICA Research Excellence Award by AFREXIMBANK/FARA. He was the founding President of the Pan African Society for Agricultural Engineering, past President of the International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, and past Vice President of the Asian Association for Agricultural Engineering. He is a Life Member of the American Society for Agricultural and Biological Engineers, Asian Association for Agricultural Engineering, and Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers, fellow of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers (UK), International Academy of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, South African Institution of Agricultural Engineers and Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineers. His ongoing activities focus on building Africa’s research capacity in engineering and biosciences for agri-food systems transformation and indstrialization.
Dr. Felix Reinders is a Professional Engineer, registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa and completed his Engineering studies in 1979 at the University of Pretoria in South Africa.He specialises in Water resources management and Irrigation engineering in the Agricultural Engineering field, including research, design, training and mentoring.
He is currently the Chair of the Technical Committee of the Global Framework on Water scarcity in Agriculture with head office in Rome, Italy. He is also President Honoraire of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, New Delhi India.
He is the Vice President of the South African Academy of Engineers and was President of the South AfricanInstitute of Agricultural Engineers from 1989-199, President of the South African Irrigation Institute from 1999-2001 and Chair of the SA National Committee on Irrigation in Drainage from 1999 – 2002 and 2008-2014.
As Council member of the Engineering Council of South Africa he was also the Chair of the Accreditation Committee for Agricultural Engineering at UKZN.
He is the author of several scientific papers and manuals on irrigation and drainage and was the co-author of the SA Institute of Agricultural Engineers’ Diamond Jubilee Commemorative publication.
The program aims to strike the perfect balance of celebrating and honouring the occasion while stimulating and provoking serious consideration of the challenges and needs of the future. A brief outline is provided below:
The Discipline of Agricultural Engineering at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) holds a distinguished place in South Africa’s academic and agricultural landscape. As the only South African university offering an accredited Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering, UKZN has been instrumental in shaping the profession nationally and advancing sustainable agricultural practices across the continent.
As we celebrate 75 years of this discipline, which has trained and graduated agricultural engineers for 70 of those years, we honour a legacy that has enriched communities, empowered innovation, and strengthened food systems across southern Africa. In recognition of the value our work has added to the agricultural sector over these decades, we are creating a pathway for those who have benefited from the discipline’s teaching and research to contribute to its long-term sustainability.
To this end, we have established an Agricultural Engineering @UKZN Support Endowment Fund to receive donations from alumni, industry collaborators, and friends of Agricultural Engineering at UKZN. The Fund is intended to support the future of the discipline at UKZN and ensure its continued relevance and contribution to engineering excellence to sustainable agricultural production, processing and logistics; water use productivity and efficiency and while sustaining the environment for future generations.
The income generated by this endowment will be used to:
The Fund will be administered by the UKZN Foundation, a SARS-approved Section 18A Public Benefit Organisation (PBO). This means taxpayers in the Republic of South Africa may deduct up to 10% of their taxable income through donations to the Fund.
Whether you are a graduate of the programme, a stakeholder in agricultural innovation, or someone who believes in the power of engineering to solve real-world problems, your support will contribute to the training of future generations of Bioresource Engineers and research focussed on urgent real-world issues.
To contribute any amount of your choice to the Agricultural Engineering Endowment Fund please donate via the UKZN Foundation website at https://ukzn.devman.co.za/devman/online/genomics/ by selecting the Agricultural Engineering Endowment Fund from the drop-down menu.
