Rowers teiken Klein - Letaba Herald

F E AT U R E
Careers in Agriculture -
what you should know!
Theo Bekker
A RECENT article in a South African newspaper,
The Sunday Times, shed some light
onto career opportunities in South Africa with
the title "Spotlight on new trends in the job
market" (Published:Aug 10, 2008).
In the article it stated: "The index does not
include employment in agriculture and the
informal economy, referred to as "the bakkie
brigade"."
This tongue in the cheek reference to employees
in the agricultural sector as being a
bakkie brigade got me thinking: Is it still the
general perception that the formal agricultural
sector only comprises out of farmers with a
"bakkie-tan", who drives around all day and
drink coffee on the veranda? (Car manufacturers
have exploited this idea infinitely in
television advertisements.) And if so, why
aren't more people interested in agriculture as
a career field?
C.S. Lewis said "What you see and hear
depends a good deal on where you are
standing; it also depends on what sort of
person you are." And where you are standing,
according to me, is a choice you make!
What do we choose to "see and hear"?
Globally, agriculture is under pressure due
to an increase in production costs and the
implications it has on a farming operation.
Coupled to this, urbanization is still taking
place, leaving huge social burdens on farming
communities.
In South Africa new laws and regulations has
caused widespread panic in the agricultural
sector. The land reform policy, with the resultant
insecurity regarding land claims is a
burden almost all farmers have to bear.
Water, labour, BEE and tax laws contribute to
this mounting "see and hear" snowball that
seems to threaten agriculture in South Africa.
All of this (and more) is a true threat.
However, lets change our vantage point and
view some facts about agriculture:
" The human race will always have to eat.
The world population stands at 6,733,164,238
(and counting) and food demand is ever
increasing. Coupled to this, agriculture is a
universal science; meaning training in a specific
county does not influence your employment
potential anywhere else in the
world.
" Even though land reform will, according to
many projections, be part of the South African
landscape for quite a while still, numerous
government officials have voiced there concern
over food shortages, and the government
has taken a firm stand on the importance of
food security, not only to provide for South
Africa, but also for the rest of the continent.
" Agriculture is based on sound scientific
facts and relies on research to move forward.
This means that not every Joe Soap can be
employed in the industry, and that people with
sound knowledge and experience is needed.
" A growing scarcity of trained people/ of
talent in the agriculture sector is starting to
develop, meaning great opportunities exist.
"… the frontiers for competition in certain
segments of the industry have shifted away
from securing job vacancies to the identification
of scarce talent in those areas where
skills are in short supply.
Whilst certain sectors of the South African
economy are booming such as the construction,
mining and agricultural sectors, other
sectors are in decline ...." RL Pike, CEO of
LETABA HERALD - Vrydag 22 Mei 2009
Adcorp, a leading provider in South Africa of
staffing, human capital management and business
process outsourcing services. The reason
for this scarcity is not only a growing agricultural
sector, but also a lack of new employees
being trained at formal training facilities.
At South African universities, the amount of
final year students (studying degrees) being
trained in Horticulture, Agronomy and Soil
Science does not exceed 50 in total. This has
been the case for a number of years.
How can we change prospective students'
"see and hear"?
Prospective students interested in agriculture
should be informed of the following:
" There is a wide range of employment
sectors to choose from with an agricultural
plant sciences background. Industries within
this sector that employ plant scientists include
propagation (nurseries, seed companies etc),
production and management (farms and estates),
product handling (packhouses, packaging
material suppliers etc), marketing and
exports (local markets, government, export
companies), supply chain management (supermarkets,
pre-packers, distributors), research
(universities, government etc), training
(Universities, training colleges) and landscape
design, amongst others.
" There are vacancies available in the South
African agricultural sector, and this need is
likely to rise within the next few years. (Take a
look at websites like www.agrijob.co.za.)
" There are bursaries available in the ag-
PAGE 17
ricultural sector. The Subtrop website
(www.subtrop.co.za) will soon be up and
running, and there will be links to the Lindsey
Milne bursary, as well as other bursary opportunities
for agricultural sciences students.
" There are willing people in the industry that
will show prospective students around, giving
them more insight into what it is that they are
doing. If you are looking at specific career
opportunities in the agricultural sector, please
contact me so we can arrange a meeting with
relevant persons within the sector you are
interested in (theo@subtrop.co.za).
Prospective agricultural students normally
have an agricultural background. It is these
surroundings that influence their perception
about agriculture. It is therefore important that
you as part of the agricultural community
begin to be aware of the opportunities that
does present itself in the agricultural sector;
not only in South Africa, but also in the world.
Be positive about the industry. Maybe change
where you are standing with relation to what
you hear, to see and hear the truth about
employment in the agricultural sector and to
influence people around you in a positive
w a y.
In future articles, I will try and focus on
specific study fields within agriculture, highlighting
the advantages of the specific course,
give examples of employment opportunities
with a similar qualification, and maybe give
real life examples of people in the industry,
and their perceptions about the agriculture
and the way forward.