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The Food Issue
2017
Grains
West
36
BY TAMARA LEIGH
AGRICULTURE IS FULL OF CAREER PATHS FOR PEOPLE FROMALLWALKSOF LIFE
A
SK SOMEONE TONAME A
career in agriculture, and the
odds are good that
the first
word out of their mouth will be
“farmer.” While it’s true that farming
forms the foundation of the industry,
those men and women are supported
by a diverse and passionate network
of professionals: research scientists,
accountants, veterinarians, heavy
mechanics, software programmers and
marketing specialists, to name a few.
While only two per cent of Canadians
live on a farm, one in eight jobs in
Canada is related to the agriculture and
Feature
CONNECTING
THE
D O T S
agri-food industry. For Canadians looking
for rewarding careers, agriculture is a
growing source of career opportunities
that few would associate with the
traditional image of farm life.
“I love to take a food product like
potato chips and ask a group of students
to describe how the bag of chips got to
them,” said Becky Parker, an agriculture
educator and Nuffield Canada scholar.
“Most people can put together growing
the potatoes, processing them into
chips, and even talk about transportation.
But who created the flavours? Who
created the design for the bag? Those
types of conversations start to open eyes
to the jobs and careers that are involved
in bringing food to consumers.”
Parker recently completed a study
of ways to engage Generation Z, the
generation born after the mid-’90s that
will be entering the workforce over
the next 20 years, in agri-food careers.
According to Parker, Generation Z
is characterized as entrepreneurial,
independent and driven by the desire to
have an impact with their work.
When it comes to impact, agriculture
has a lot to offer. Domestically, food and
beverage processing is Canada’s largest