Agriculture is one of the largest industries in the world.
Countries such as as Brazil, India, China, Indonesia and as well as the United States, are just few of the major players in this industry. According to United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, in 2013, it was estimated that there are one billion people employed in the agricultural sector.
As the demand for supplies, especially for food are on the rise due to the ever increasing number of population in the world, the Agriculture industry needs more manpower than ever.
If you love production, technology and food, then you might want to keep reading!
What is Agriculture?
Agriculture is an economic sector that delivers food and resources. There are different kinds of agriculture:
Farming
Farming is the growing of crops and other plants by putting seeds in the ground.
Horticulture
Horticulture includes the growing of fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees and much more!
Cattle-breeding
Cattle breeding is the propagation of cows to produce calves. These calves are either sold or kept for own use.
Fishery
Fishery is catching fish and other sea creatures from the ocean to sell. The ten largest fish producing countries in the worlds are China, Peru, India, Indonesia, USA, Chile, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Russia.
Forestry
This is the management of forests that include planting and maintaining trees.
Why should you study Agriculture?
World Population Growth
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the world population will increase and reach 10 billion by 2050. This means the production needs to grow as well.
Therefore, a new agriculture generation is needed as most of the current agriculture employers and managers will be retired by 2050.
Agricultural Technology Development
If you think about technology in the agricultural sector, think about engineering, computer sciences, agricultural devices, sensors and systems that can grow safer foods for a lower price.
With these technologies, crop productivity will grow quickly and the use of water and pesticides will decrease. How great is that?
Diversity
Agriculture has different sectors as mentioned before. There will come a time during the course of this degree where students have to choose one of these sectors and continue the course from this point.
So, there is definitely a lot of career opportunity for you.
What are the skills you need?
1. Project Management
As someone who manages a project, you will need to be good at negotiations and have a sense of critical thinking.
2. Planning and Conducting Research
Research is a necessity, especially if you own a company. People’s needs change and you need to be up to date with new demands.
3. Teamwork
You will learn how to listen, question, help, share, participate, and respect each other as you and your team come up with new inventions to help improve the system.
4. Leadership
As a leader you need to be good at making decisions, solve problems, keep motivating your employees, and be positive.
5. Professional Communication
You will know how to use written and verbal communication in an effective way so that you can persuade your clients.
What are the jobs I can get with this degree?
1. Farm management
You will be responsible for the crops and/or the animal production.
2. Research & development
This mostly deals with analysing, improving, testing and developing a product.
3. Operations manager
This manager takes care of the costs, oversee different departments in the company, and make decisions regarding promotions and hiring.
4. Office manager
Your communication skills need to be outstanding and you will be responsible for all employees, projects, and activities.
With a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, you can also work as a research agent at a manufacturing company, food processing company, farms, or logistics company.
What is the expected salary?
There are many agricultural jobs. Here is an impression of the average salary of a few agricultural managers.
Source: payscale
Top 10 Agriculture Schools
According to US News these are the world’s top ten agriculture universities and colleges of 2022:
- Wageningen University and Research Center, Netherlands
- China Agricultural University, China
- South China University of Technology, China
- Jiangnan University, China
- University of Massachusetts--Amherst, USA
- Zhejiang University, China
- University of California--Davis, USA
- Cornell University, USA
- Nanjing Agricultural University, China
- Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
