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The Food Issue
2017
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manufacturing industry, and Canada is the fifth-largest exporter
of agriculture and agri-food products in the world. Globally,
agriculture has the single largest footprint of any human activity,
which speaks to the universal truth that everyone needs to eat.
Agriculture is an economic, social, environmental, political and
science-based industry, and offers career opportunities that are
equally diverse.
The challenge is closing the gap between the widely
held perceptions of agricultural jobs and the reality of
the opportunities available. Parker said the key to getting
Generation Z to think about agricultural careers when they are
ready to enter the workforce is to first increase their awareness
of agriculture and their exposure to the opportunities available.
“We can’t just talk about careers in agriculture with young
people, we need to give them a chance to experience them
through co-op placements, summer jobs or job shadowing.
We need to give them an opportunity to try things out,” said
Parker, who is working to create more of these opportunities in
the industry. “The other key part of the system is really around
mentorship, and having someone to provide a pathway into a
career in agriculture.”
AGRICULTURE INNOVATION
The Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences
(ALES) at the University of Alberta has experienced a trend that
demonstrates just how compelling agriculture can be once
people make the connection.
“Our faculty gets more transfer students from other faculties
than any other,” said Stan Blade, dean of the Faculty of ALES.
“Students from arts or science take one of their electives from
our faculty and, all of a sudden, worlds open up to them that
they never conceived of.”
According to Blade, the interest from schools and students
from urban areas is increasing as people begin to better
understand how the opportunities in agriculture align with
their values. In recent years, there has been a shift in where
ALES students come from. Whereas the faculty has traditionally
drawn about 75 per cent of its students from rural areas,
today enrolment reflects a 50-50 split between urban and
rural students. Fifty-five to 60 per cent of students enrolled in
undergraduate programs are women.
“Students from places like Vancouver, Toronto and
Montreal, they want to have an impact on food security,” Blade
said. “They want to have an impact on the environmental
sustainability of agriculture and food production more broadly.”
With a focus on experiential learning at the undergraduate
level, the faculty offers international trips to places like Mexico,
Cuba, India and Japan, as well as internships and opportunities
to connect with top-level farmers within the region.
“We see our students go on to graduate school and equip
themselves for roles as researchers and scientists,” said
Blade. “We have alumni who set up their own consulting firms
and agricultural businesses. Lots of our students work with
companies where they work on the front line with farmers.
Others go on to work with producer organizations in key
positions that can become extremely influential.”
As a research faculty, the work being done at the graduate
level is shaping the future of agricultural production, changing
practices and creating new career opportunities in agriculture
by developing demand for new skill sets.
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