Agriculture & Fisheries
Muddy boots to high-tech – cultivate a career
in modern-day Agriculture and Fisheries!
Soil, hot sun, muddy boots – these are probably what pop up in your mind when we talk about agriculture. However, with the rise of modern farming technologies, a new era is here. Work at the farm has become much less labour intensive than ever before. Farmers who practise sustainable methods also feel less of a burden on their shoulders thanks to improved yield and profitability. Simply put, agricultural technology, or agritech, is the application of technology to produce more with less, to make the farming process more efficient, from field monitoring to the food supply chain itself.
The same shift can be observed in the field of fisheries. Fishermen worldwide are adopting more smart technologies to help them make the right catch. This in turn can help to safeguard the aquatic ecosystem.
Before we delve deeper into these latest changes, let us look into what makes Agriculture and Fisheries exciting career areas to work in.
What role does it play?
Every seed you sow grows into valuable food sources that feed millions of people. How content would you feel when you are told so? If you would be astonished, know that global agriculture development is projected to feed 9.7 billion people by 2050, according to The World Bank.
As grateful as veggie lovers will be to have their demand for fresh produce fulfilled, seafood lovers will also be delighted to see their favourite fish products on their tables – 156 million tonnes made it to our plates in 2018! And many marginalised communities have been saved from hunger and malnutrition by the abundance of nature’s produce.
Agriculture and Fisheries have contributed greatly to global food security, poverty reduction and improved incomes over the years. The significance of this industry will continue to grow, with more skilled workers entering the field and more innovations being introduced.
Careers in the Agriculture and Fisheries scene have grown far beyond the previously manual labour of past centuries. Plant science, technology, food production, and more – university graduates and highly-skilled workers from these specialities and many others are warmly welcomed in the industry today.
A random search query of “agriculture jobs” will bring you a long list of career options, ranging from labour, administrative and sales to science and engineering positions. Some of the jobs you can find in this area include:
- Farm Worker or Assistant
- Grower
- Crop Manager
- Livestock Manager
- Agricultural Equipment Technician
- Research Scientist
- Agronomist
- Sales Executive
- Operation Executive
- Commercial Fisherman or Fisher
- Hatchery Manager
- Hatchery Technician
- Research Scientist
- Fisheries Biologist
- Marine Biologist
- Aquatic Ecologist
- Aquaculture Operation Executive
- Purchasing Executive
If you are more into the outdoor life and do not fancy typical 9-5 jobs, you would probably love working in this career field. Of course, if you would want to be in this industry but still prefer conventional office-based jobs, there is an array of options available – administration, accounting, marketing, sales and more.
Falling between office-based and on-the-field or on-the-water jobs are operational roles such as packing, warehouse management, order processing, quality checking and delivery.
On the field, be prepared to work with your hands:
Agriculture
- Work outdoors.
- Plant, grow and harvest plants and crops.
- Raise and take care of livestock (cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and others).
- Operate tools, machinery and equipment.
- Design, build and maintain farmsteads or ranches.
- Drive tractors, quadbikes and heavy machinery.
- Examine and improve farm structures and facilities.
- Conduct research or experiments to improve crop yield or produce quality.
Fisheries
- Work on water.
- Catch, trap and prepare fish for sale.
- Operate boats.
- Handle tools, equipment and machinery.
- Repair nets, fishing rods, traps and other fishing equipment.
- Monitor hatchery operations and maintenance.
- Oversee fish culturing procedures (collecting, fertilizing and incubating fish spawns).
- Observe and maintain fish health.
- Study marine organisms and their natural habitats.
How likely will you be employed?
Very likely! Workforce demand has been ever-increasing in the agriculture sector. In fact, employers find it hard to fill their vacancies with qualified graduates. To overcome this labour shortage, farming and fishing companies worldwide are no longer limiting the opportunities to applicants with qualifications or direct experience in the sector. As long as you have relevant transferrable skills and experiences, you would be welcomed with open arms.
What’s more? The need for agricultural products will hardly cease – well, we all need food to live. The demand for food products will only continue to increase, along with the growing population. With these demographics, the need for labour in the sector can only become greater.
The influx of young entrepreneurs and modern innovations is changing the way people farm, fish and manage their agricultural businesses.
One of the notable shifts in the recent years is the emergence of urban farmers around the world. Greenhouses, rooftop gardens, vertical farms, aquaponics – structures and techniques may vary across firms, but all of them converge with the same goal: to improve sustainability, affordability, accessibility and consumers’ health. Farmers working for sustainable agriculture firms are often protected from exposure to harmful chemicals such as pesticides. Many of these firms also aim to improve farmers’ welfare by reducing back-breaking labour work through automation.
The global fisheries and aquaculture industries are making a move towards greater sustainability by managing fish stocks as well as protecting oceans, seas, inland waters and marine resources. To achieve this goal, smart technologies are increasingly being adopted by fishing companies worldwide. Scientists and innovation companies are helping fishermen to catch the species that they want by introducing a series of light and audio technologies. This prevents overfishing which causes harm to the aquatic ecosystem.