CAREERS IN

AGRICULTURE
Francis Davis &
Ricardo Hospedales
Adapted from Burton (2010) - AGRISCIENCE

May 2011 UTT, Valsayn

Agricscience
LIFE is possible without many of the modern
conveniences, BUT not without FOOD and other
products from the soil, air and water.

All these products are related to “AGRISCIENCE”

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Agriscience
“AGRISCIENCE” is a term that includes all jobs
relating in some way to plants, animals,
renewable resources, and can either be
‘indoors” or
“outdoors”
Opportunities exist in – banking, radio,
television, engineering and design, research,
education, environment protection, etc.
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OPPORTUNITIES
Opportunities exist at all levels:
About 20% of jobs require university degrees
Other jobs require diplomas or certificates from
ECIAF or COSTATT locally
At another level, high school graduates can fill
those position.
Self Employment
These opportunities include:
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Wheel of Fortune
Agriscience is like a wheel with a small hub.
The hub of the wheel is farming or ranching
(about 20%)
The rest of the wheel consists of non-farm and
non-ranch careers
Because of the many opportunities we can call
this wheel
The Wheel of Fortune
Let us examine The Wheel of Fortune 6
Wheel of Fortune
Let us examine the wheel spoke by
spoke

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 Production Agriculture
Farming – Growing and Marketing of Field Crops
and Livestock. In larger countries this accounts
for only 1/5 of jobs in agriculture, as the average
farmer produces enough food and fibre for
approximately 144 people.
An efficient farmer can go up to 200 people
In the Caribbean that figure is much less as
production is less efficient and most food and
fibre is imported.
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 Agriculture Processing Products
and Distribution
Parts of the industry that hauls, grade, process,
package and market commodities from production
sources.
Take any commodity and it can be traced back to
Agriculture
TAKE A HAMBURGER
Beef, catsup, tomato, lettuce, pickle, mustard, bun,
sesame seeds – can all be traced back to a farm.
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 Agriculture Processing Products
and Distribution
People with careers and jobs in agricultural
processing, products and distribution make it all
possible.
In the US, the producers share of the food dollar
is 15.4 cents for Cereal and Bakery products.
The rest is handling, processing and distribution.

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Horticulture
Includes the producing, processing and marketing
fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants such as
grass, flowers, shrubs and trees.
Horticulture commodities are high labour and high
income commodities.
The vegetable retailer, golf course superintendent,
flower wholesaler are all horticulturalists.

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Forestry
Is the industry that grows, manages and
harvests trees for lumber, poles, posts, panels,
furniture, etc.
In T&T, Forestry is also responsible for the
environment, protecting the environment with
all its flora and fauna.
Many jobs are outdoors, and range from actual
working with trees to service jobs with the
Government.
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Livestock
Here all classes of livestock are reared for food,
and other products.
An advantage in the Western Hemisphere is that
FAO has suddenly realized that there was animal
life before the advent of the Europeans, so that has
opened up a whole new scope for what are
termed – “Neo-Tropical Animals”.

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Mechanization

Are you fascinated by tools and equipment?

Are you challenged by something that does not

work?

Are you creative and like to build things?

Then this is your career.

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Mechanization
Agricultural Mechanization involves the use
of hand and power tools, woodworking,
metalwork, welding, electricity, plumbing,
tractor and machinery mechanics, hydraulics,
terracing, drainage, painting and
construction.
Choose your level – indoors or outdoors.
Choose your role – employee, employer or
professional.

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Suppliers and Services
Agricultural suppliers and Services are
businesses that sell supplies or provide
services for people in the Agricultural
Industry.
Examples of supplies are seed, feed, farm
machinery, pesticides etc.

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Suppliers and Services
Services are also provided for the industry –
legal assistance (land transfers), writing
publications, advice on money matters, provide
advice on crops, livestock, soil fertility etc.
These jobs are for people who are more people
oriented than commodity oriented.

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 Agriculture Professionals

Finally Agricultural Professionals.

Professional denotes an occupation requiring
specialized education.
Agriculture Professions are those jobs that deal
with knowledge and understanding of
Agriscience.
They cut across all divisions of the wheel of
fortune. 27
 Agriculture Professionals
Here is a list of possible professions – you can use it
in your scrabble game.

Do not ask what some of them do, that is your

home work.

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 CAREERS
Ag. Accountant Ag. Extension Educator Animal Cytologist

Ag. Advertising Ag. Extension Specialist Animal Geneticist

Executive Ag. Journalist Animal Nutritionist

Ag. Association Ag. Lawyer Animal Physiologist

Executive Ag. Loans Officer Animal Scientist

Ag. Consultant Ag. Market Analysis Agriculturalist

Ag. Corporation Ag. Mechanics Teacher Avian Veterinarian

Executive Ag. News Director Bacteriologist

Ag. Economist Agricultural Attaché Biochemist

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Ag. Educator Agronomist Bioengineer
Biophysicist Equine Dentist Hydrologist

Computer Specialist 4-H Youth Assistant Ichthyologist

Credit Analyst Farm Appraiser Information Director

International
Dairy Nutrition Farm Investment Specialist
Invertebrate
Specialist Manager Zoologist

Dendrologist Food Chemist Land Bank Branch

Electron Editor Foreign Affairs Official Manager

Embryologist Graphic Designer Limnologist

Environmental Educator Herpetologist Magazine Writer

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Entomologist Horticulture Instructor Mammalologist
Marine Biologist Plant Ecologist Satellite Technician
Market Analyst Plant Geneticist Scientific Artist
Media Buyer Plant Nutritionist Scientific Writer
Microbiologist Plant Pathologist Silviculturalist
Mycobiologist Plant Taxonomist Software Reviewer
Nematologist Pomologist Vertebrtae Zoologist
Organic Chemist Poultry Specialist Veterinarian
Ornithologist Public Relations Manag. Veterinary Pathologist
Ova Transplant
Specialist Manager Virologist
Paleobiologist Publicist Viticulturist
Parasitologist Publisher Vocational Agriculture
Pharmaceutical
Chem. Reproductive Instructor/Adviser
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Photographer Physiologist
Plant Cytologist Rural Sociologist
Agriculture Professionals
All professionals must have a degree in
agriculture BUT most require advanced
qualifications and high levels of education and
skills.
In some the skills are specific to one area –
Avian Veterinarian, whereas in others the must
be competent in several or all divisions of
Agriscience – Agriscience Teacher.

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OPPORTUNITIES IN AGRICULTURE
What are specific areas for CAREERS in Agriculture:
1) Farming
2) Farming- Support Staff
3) Aquaculture, Aquaponics and commercial fishing
4) Forest Production and Management
5) Agriscience
6) Agriculture Services
7) Agribusiness
8) Food and Beverage Industry
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OPPORTUNITIES IN AGRICULTURE
9) Floral, Gardening and Landscaping Services
10)Pet and Animal Services
11)Veterinary Medicine
12)Natural Resources Management and
Conservation
13)Travel, Tourism and Recreation
14)Education and Communications.

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OPPORTUNITIES IN AGRICULTURE
1) Farming and 2) Farming Support Staff - Farmers and farm
labourers are among the most familiar people working in
Agriculture.
They produce all types of crops and livestock for commercial
purposes
They work on small and large farms, fruit and nut orchards,
livestock farms (cattle, sheep, pig and goat), poultry farms,
neo-tropical farms (guinea pig farms in Peru), plant nurseries,
flower farms, tree farms, etc.
They work in rural, urban and semi-urban settings.

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Farmer and Farm Support Staff
Farmers:
Duties: Oversee commercial agricultural operations, perform
farming, marketing, management and administrative duties.
Farmers are their own bosses, they may own, rent or lease
land
They are generally known by the products they raise.
Farm Support Staff:
Duties: Oversee the daily operational activities, carry out the
daily activities
They may either be managers or workers/operators of
machinery.
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3. Aquaculture, Aquaponics and
Commercial Fishing

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Recent Advances
Now that we have looked at the WHEEL OF
FORTUNE and careers, some of you may say
that you live in a built up area, AND
Agriculture in the area is impossible.
Because of the Urban shift in the world’s
population, FAO has been experimenting
with that problem, and a new concept has
emerged –
URBAN and PERI-URBAN Agriculture
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Recent advances
This involves Agriculture in confined
spaces. We are experimenting in Trinidad
with Container Agriculture – Grow Box, but
on a larger scale there are new concepts
Inner City Farming – encouraged by
Michele Obama
Roof Top Agriculture
Vertical Agriculture.

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Chicago Inner City

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Roof Top Farming

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Roof Top Farming

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Vertical Farming

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Nebulizers activated for cooling
Vertical farming

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 Harvesting
• Finally, not everyone who farms harvests. Look at him

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and his brother

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