As enrolment in ag programs declines and talent in the seed industry becomes more scarce, forward-thinking businesses are creating new programs to ensure engagement and retention of young seed professionals.
Enrolment in post-secondary agriculture programs across Canada and worldwide continues to slide, which may have dire consequences for the seed industry and the recruitment of young professionals to jobs in seed technology.
“All of us in the business of agriculture, and by that I mean everyone from farmers through the whole value chain, agree this has reached a critical level,” says Bryan Harvey, Professor Emeritus of Plant Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan. “If we don’t have the people to service that industry from one end to the other, it’s going to get done by people who are not properly trained to do it.”
Recruitment, engagement, and retention are challenging all areas of agriculture for a number of reasons, such as the image of agriculture itself (a career in ag is not seen as an attractive option) and the disconnect that exists between food and the farms where it is produced. The seed industry, in particular, is finding it difficult to attract young professionals because of the additional obstacles of a lack of understanding, exposure, and interest in seed technology, as well as the high cost of education and lack of funding and opportunity for training of plant scientists in specialist fields such as plant breeding and seed analysis.
Working Hand in Hand
To address the complex issue of the shortage of talent in the seed industry, a concerted, multi-pronged effort between industry, government, and institutes of learning is needed, says Harvey.
A significant campaign to increase awareness and interest, improve agriculture’s image, and offer up the seed industry as a choice career option may go a long way to turning the tide on the dwindling program enrolment numbers.
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