Opportunities in agriculture

It has always been a mindset to think about promising careers as being jobs in the fields of Law, Medicine and Engineering. This has been so a while, but Covid-19 has proven to us that food security and food sustainability are essential for survival.

With this being said, I believe the future of work for young people lies in agriculture and entrepreneurship. This has been proven historically since as countries develop, their food systems are most stable.

Modern agricultural technologies are opening up opportunities for our youth to diversify into agriculture and change the stigma. Some ways we can introduce opportunities to improve engagement with youth in agriculture are:

• Shifting the perception of farming within rural families and communities
• Exposing youth to agriculture early on, incorporating all aspects of the value chain (rather than just farming)
• Introducing agriculture problems to youth to resolve them
• Training, organisation, and support of the youth by the authorities, could improve the efficiency of individual activities while preserving natural resources from uncontrolled pressures.

Young people need to be able to add value to agricultural produce, connect to the urban market to adopt sustainable agriculture technologies, and increase access to capital.

Careers in agriculture are vast. A young person can choose from:

1. Agricultural Entrepreneurship – The youth can create business from agriculture by selling agricultural products.
2. Agricultural Consultancy- They can also offer their expertise after they have been trained
3. Research and Development
4. Agricultural Lecturer
5. Scientist
6. Farm Owner
7. Agronomy
8. Plant Pathology
9. Farm Management

There are many engaging and profitable careers in the field of agriculture which I do hope that more youth engage in.

Regionally and internationally, agricultural opportunities are limitless as now more than ever, the world prioritises food security.