Introduction
What kind of career should I choose? Should I pick it according to the societal customs or traditions? Or go with the one that satisfy by hobbies and interests? Should I choose agriculture as career? It would not be a surprise if you say a straight NO.
Do you want to become a farmer? Is that what you studied for? Do you want to opt an archaic lifestyle? What would your relatives say? You bought up in a city; do you want to work in the fields?
These were the few questions that I faced when I decided to study agriculture as a subject after my college. The most disturbing one was what would be the opinion of my family and relatives? A typical question faced by youth perusing agriculture as his/her career in third world countries like Pakistan. The situation is tougher for females in addition to the queries raised earlier.
However, after more than a decade experience with agriculture and its allied studies, I find agriculture as a profession that provides youth with viable and sustainable options to learn and earn for satisfactory livelihood. For a country like Pakistan, where 70 percent of the population is engaged directly or indirectly with agricultural activities, this sector has a share of 42.3 percent in employment in the country (Economic Survey, 2016), choosing agriculture as career for Pakistani youth is surely a viable option and here I am going to give 5 best reasons why to choose agriculture as a career?
1. Population is Increasing
Population is increasing so as the feeding mouths. We have touched the figure of 7 billion population globally. Feeding such a mammoth population is not an easy task. The green revolution of 60’s in agriculture is an old story. Now we need a new revolution in food nutrition and balanced diet. Agricultural graduates equipped with knowledge of Plant breeding and genetics and food technology and dietetics are needed more than ever now.
2. Agriculture as a Poverty Fighter
Agriculture has proved a great driver to combat poverty. Agriculture as a career is more promising than any other sector in this regard. It requires less investment to start for earning a dignified livelihood both in rural and urban setups. It is also a source of food security. So if you are food secure, then you have additional monetary resources to invest anywhere else in more productive ways.
3. Less Awareness about Agriculture as a Career
Not only in Pakistan, but in many third world countries, there is always room for more agriculturists to come in and fill the job spaces. But that doesn’t mean that you will get a job for sure. Make yourself competitive in the agriculture job market, and you will get success.
4. Agriculture Engineering
Though there is a lot of acceptance for engineers in various fields in the country, less attention has been paid in promoting agricultural engineering. The importance of agri. engineering increases many folds for the countries that are arid in nature. Farmers in arid environments require unique and innovative implements and structures to have sustainable agricultural production. More importantly, an agricultural graduate with specialization in engineering can use ENGINEER as a prefix with his name.
5. Extension Services
Extension department is another negligent sector that requires immediate attention. The climate of globe is changing. Famers require more that “tips” from an extension worker. They need timely update about forecast and new crop varieties. So there is a huge scope of agriculture extension worldwide.
Cite this Article in APA Style as: