New agri careers in science and technology

Agriculture's future lies in interdisciplinary STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers. Petri de Beer explores the growing range of science- and technology-driven opportunities across the sector.

- 

Agriculture still has an image problem, with many people outside of the industry associating agricultural training mainly with primary production and with career paths focused on training farmers.

However, the agriculture sector is supported by a large and complex ecosystem of technologyand science-based industries that require a diverse range of expertise, sometimes from quite unexpected fields.

As new technologies are implemented on a larger scale, and increasingly within smaller production units, many producers are beginning to in-source functions that were previously provided by external support services. Agricultural training and career development must therefore place greater emphasis on adaptability and resilience while following a holistic, whole-farm approach.

The emergence of new careers has highlighted the wide range of interdisciplinary career opportunities available within the agriculture sector.

AGRICULTURE IS NOW BECOMING A HIGH-TECH INDUSTRY AND NEW CAREERS ARE EMERGING

Agriculture is entering a period of major change, driven by climate change, rapid technological advancement, market instability, and increasing pressure to adopt more sustainable practices.

To adapt to this changing landscape, Stellenbosch University is investing in what has been termed the ‘Faculty of the Future’, based on a new and integrated vision for the university’s agricultural faculty.

TRAINING AND ADAPTABILITY

The aim is to ensure that students are trained to take advantage of emerging opportunities by becoming nimble, adaptable and capable of working across traditional disciplinary boundaries. The university has also partnered with the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) to establish the SU-BFAP Chair in Precision Agriculture within its Department of Agronomy, to enable faster adaptation by academia to industry needs.