b'The Study: Who Took Part The study was conducted using two surveys. People involved in the plant breeding sector were selected as participants. They were invited through various channels, including email, social media and phone calls.The 1st survey gathered The 2nd survey gatheredresponses from: responses from:84 total participants 55 total participants20from public government393015breeding programsHow Many Plant Breedersfromfromfrom New18rom private breeding fare Needed in the World? Australia Canada Zealand programs11 from public academic According to research from the The respondents were: breeding programsUniversity of Saskatchewan, thereunder age 30 to over 70 years old, 53%2 from public NGOsare fewer than 500 plant breeders inbeing between 41-60 years old. 4 from other categoriesCanada.82% held PhDs. In the United States, there areThese respondents were a subset of those around 2,200, according to the 32% had 21-30 years of experience.who participated in the first survey.University of Illinois. 14% had less than five years of Assuming that half of them willexperience.retire in the next 10-15 years and also assuming a 15% rate of job growth in the seed industry, 1,430Defining the Problemnew graduates holding a PhD and/or masters degree in plant breeding66% of survey respondents stated that theyve noticed a reduction in themay be needed [in the U.S.] bynumber of breeders involved in cultivar development 2020an average of 110 per64% observed a decline in the number of field breedersyear, states the University of Illinois70%website. believe there has been a decline in capacity development for the That means less than 66% of theplant breeding sector in recent decadesestimated 110 new entry-level post- 71%agree that the sector risks losing a significant portion of its skilledgraduate plant breeders neededworkforce in the next 10 yearsper year to fill U.S. job vacancies are69% acknowledge that the plant breeding sector is struggling to attractbeing produced by the eight primarystudents to train as the next generation of plant breedersAmerican institutions contributing to this pool.Both private and public sectorStudy Takeaways: Action Items for Improving Plant jobs are available for plant breedersBreeding Educationfor the ultimate goal of developingEstablish Centres of Excellence: Build dedicated facilities focused on cultivars suited to human needs. Approximately 65-75% of breederstraining and developing new plant breeders to create strong, contempo-work in the private sector andrary education programs.35-25% are employed in the publicIncrease Private Sector Involvement: Companies should play a biggersector, according to the Raymond F.role in early-career training.Baker Center for Plant Breeding at Iowa State University.Align University Curricula with Industry Needs: Include both scientific Several studies have beensubjects and professional courses that meet the evolving demands of conducted to predict the futureboth public and private sectors.Provide Continuous Training: Offer workshops, seminars, and online demand of plant breeders in the U.S. and internationally, and they agreedcourses to keep plant breeders and others updated on emerging tech-in the strong demand for plantnologies and advanced breeding techniques. Include a plan to support breeding graduates, the centrethe transition of trained graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in says. plant breeding into academic, government or industry positions.40 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA SEPTEMBER 2024'