A spontaneous image that pops up in our head whenever we talk about agriculture is a group of men or women working on a lush green field with cows walking here and there. A scene straight out of a feature film checking every stereotype meant for farming.

Well, that’s not the case anymore!!

India is one of the largest agrarian economies in the world and has 54.6 per cent of the total workforce engaged in agricultural and allied sector activities. Contributing almost 20% to the Indian GDP, agriculture is no longer a job that is meant to be associated with low-skill workers.

In 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a new Central Sector Scheme of financing facility under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund of Rs. 1 Lakh Crore. This scheme was aimed to target and develop farming assets and post-harvesting agricultural infrastructure.

Due to the implementation of such schemes, the need to adapt to growing population demands and the necessity to resort to sustainable practices of agriculture has started to raise awareness about the opportunities available in the agricultural sector. In this article, I would like to shed light on some of the established career roles and institutes across India that support them.

To start with, we can see agronomists as crop doctors who take care of soil management to ensure a higher yield of crops from the same amount of land. They can further work as farm managers and fertilizer store managers. After getting a bachelor’s degree in agronomy, agriculture, or a related field, getting a master’s degree to specialize will help candidates acquire the necessary skills to land a successful job. 

The next role is that of a crop researcher. The job varies depending on whether you chose to work for the government or the private. Working for the government means developing a research program on crops that meet the research goals set by the department and is more involved in finding ways to improve the livelihood of farmers. As a crop researcher, you would have the freedom to come up with your research projects and design experiments to address the goals.

While these are roles that are directly tied to the production side, there are numerous opportunities on the storage, packaging, and distribution side of this industry. The need to develop and build platforms for seamless interaction between the consumer and the producer and analysts to understand the kind of demand prevailing in the market creates numerous job roles that often come under the direct wingspan of the IT sector. The job titles for these roles are often very similar to the standard traditional roles (supply chain manager, warehouse manager, data analysts) found in the IT sector, but they differ fundamentally in some of the qualities that are demanded. Apart from having the required skills, you should be able to understand how technology affects the farmers lives and how basic transitions take place in a rural setting.

Understanding the needs of the industry often gives a perspective as to what job roles will be available and what will become obsolete in the future, thus helping you to plan and study wisely.

There are a lot of reputed institutes across the country to pursue your dreams in this field, including our very own BEST Innovation University. A keen study of the course program and what it has to offer will help you identify the career paths that this field can offer you.

The blend of science and technology with agriculture can make truly turn this resource-intensive sector into using the manpower and other resources to their full potential. After all irrespective of how rich or poor you are, hunger is one common thing and you being in the process to satisfy that hunger in some capacity will be Nobel.