There’s nothing better than taking a small step in the right direction, whether you are embarking on a new career journey or simply figuring out what lies ahead for your agricultural career. There are plenty of agri jobs out there, so don’t despair!
Graduates looking for jobs in the agricultural field or students who are interested in pursuing a career in farming, have much more to choose from these days.
We spoke to Marianne van der Laars, owner of Agrijobs who shared her top five job recommendations in the agricultural field. These jobs top her list:
Technical advisor/sales
Technical advisory is not only about going to farms and sharing your expertise, but it’s also about your credibility as an expert advising a grower.
Van der Laars says that many graduates or individuals who want to make a change in their careers are hesitant about technical advisory because of the sales component.
She further notes that marketing is everywhere and tapping into it is the best decision to make.
“You are going to apply your technical knowledge to visit a farmer and sell the products. More than 60% of all graduates in the agricultural field will end up in a commercial-type position, which will involve some kind of sales and marketing,” she says.
Farm management
On the commercial vegetable, crop and fruit production level, it is still very difficult to find managers that are able to successfully manage farms.
Van der Laars acknowledges that it’s not easy for graduates to first get the opportunity, and secondly, gain experience in the field.
“But once they get there and once they get the experience they are highly [in demand],” she adds.
Nursery management
Nursey management relates to plant propagation, especially growing the seedlings where it is marketable and sent off to various farms. Not just that, nursery management is quite a niche field and requires meticulous attention.
“It is a very specialised part of the production. It has lots of potential,” she explains.
Food safety and quality compliance
On the production level, there are certain food safety standards that tie in with compliance. This is important for the safety of food. Whether they are on the farm or wholesale level, there’s always a need for quality assurance and compliance specialists.
“This is a different ball game. You need to have the knowledge to apply and implement the food safety standards in packhouses or even food processing,” she says.
Graduates in the following fields can apply for such positions. However, growing and becoming an expert in primary agricultural production will take time. The great news is the qualification is not restricted to food scientists or technologists, but also:
- Microbiologists
- Plant pathologists
- Agronomists
- Horticulture or general agriculture
Packhouse/operations management
This is a vast field because it deals with logistics. The sector is also upscaling to introduce industrial engineers into the field. She emphasises that it’s important to introduce agricultural and industrial engineers into the industry.
“We see how the big companies battle to find packhouse managers. Young people are needed here. They have a different way of looking at problems and challenges,” she says.
Where can you find these jobs?
It’s all good and well to know about the jobs in demand, but where can you apply for them? Agrijobs is the place where you can register your CV as well as browse and apply for the job you desire in the sector.
“It is a unique agricultural career portal with lots of information. It’s a platform for active job and internship portals, career directories, bursary listings, and industry organisations’ contact details which offer a great opportunity to interact with the industry and acquire additional information on career opportunities, and get to know companies,” she adds.
There are also other job sites where agricultural jobs are advertised, such as Indeed or LinkedIn.
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