CAREER - My SA Career Guide

Careers in Agriculture
A career in the agricultural fi eld is
not limited to farming. Roughly oneeighth
of the country’s land is suitable
for cultivation, which means that
farming in South Africa is big business.
There are a host of careers in
the industry ranging from agronomy,
which is the science of growing
crops, to engineering for the more
technically minded. If you are more
interested in the facts, fi gures and
profi tability of the industry, you can
venture into the commercial fold and
become an agricultural economist or
consultant.
The South African agricultural economy
is characterised by two facets: a well developed
commercial sector, and a predominantly
subsistence-oriented sector,
especially in rural areas. Approximately
13% of South Africa’s land can be utilised
for crop production, which translates
into roughly 1,3 million hectares.
South Africa is one of very few countries
that is not only self-suffi cient in all major
agricultural products, but is also a net
exporter of produce. The largest export
groups are raw sugar, fresh grapes,
citrus, nectarines, wine and deciduous
fruit. Other important exports include
avocados, plums, maize tea, groundnuts,
meat, pineapples, tobacco, wool
and cotton.
In highly productive seasons, the contribution
of agriculture can be vital to
the country’s Gross Domestic Product
(GDP). Primary agriculture contributes
about 2,6% to the GDP and constitutes
almost 9% of formal employment, whilst
the agro-industrial sector is estimated to
comprise 15% of GDP.
According to the Department of Agriculture,
with the birth of South Africa’s
democracy in 1994, it inherited an agricultural
sector that was not inclusive
and did not refl ect the demographics of
South Africa.
careers by industry
The Department was faced with the
enormous challenge of addressing
poverty, landlessness and a general
skewed participation of black people,
women and especially youth.
One of the Department’s strategic plans
in addressing these challenges is to
promote equitable access and participation
in agricultural opportunities, to
redistribute land and agricultural enterprise
ownership and to unlock the full
entrepreneurial potential in the sector.
In the agricultural sector, demographic
trends have shown that there seems to
be an urban migration amongst youth,
particularly young males, and this may
be due to a lack of awareness abut the
opportunities in this fi eld. Only certain
schools for instance, offer agriculture
as a subject. In many instances it is offered
as an alternative, rather than as
part of the science subject stream, and
this poses a serious disadvantage to
those students who wish to follow the
agriculture subject stream.
The economic role that agriculture plays
is in many instances understated, and
this contributes to the low prestige that
is associated with the fi eld. Not many
learners realise that you can make a career
out of farming, and those who do
often cite the lack of resources, fi nancial
constraints and the unavailability of land
as de-motivating factors. This has led
to a serious skills gap in the job market,
bearing in mind that the average age of
farmers, which is currently 50 years old,
is increasing.
The Department of Agriculture has already
identifi ed four careers that are
in huge demand, namely Agricultural
Veterinarians, Agriculture Engineering,
Agricultural Economists and Agricultural
Statisticians. The department has stated
that the continued viability of a strong
agricultural industry in South Africa is in
the interest of all its citizens, but its ongoing
success will become dependant
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