Career Opportunity for Graduates of Agriculture

Benedict Emmanuel Mitchel

Career Opportunities for Graduates of Agriculture

Introduction

Agriculture (from the Latin: ager meaning "field" and cultura meaning "growing") is the cultivation and breeding of animals, plants and fungi for food, fiber, biofuel, medicinal plants and other products used to sustain and enhance life.[1] Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the development of civilization. The study of agriculture is known as agricultural science. The history of agriculture by humans dates back thousands of years, and its development has been driven and defined by greatly different climates, cultures, and technologies; industrial agriculture based on large-scale monoculture farming has become the dominant agricultural method. Although generally understood to denote the practices of humans, other animals— for example, fungus-growing ants— have also been found to engage in agriculture.

Branches of Agriculture:

Agronomy

– Deals with the production of various crops which includes food crops, fodder crops, fibre crops, sugar, oilseeds, etc. The aim is to have better food production and how to control the diseases.

Horticulture

- Deals with the production of fruits, vegetables, flowers, ornamental plants, spices, condiments and beverages.

Forestry

– Deals with production of large scale cultivation of perennial trees for supplying wood, timber, rubber, etc. and also raw materials for industries.

Animal husbandry

– Deals with agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock in order to provide food for humans and to provide power (draught) and manure for crops.

Fishery science

– Deals with practice of breeding and rearing fishes including marine and inland fishes, shrimps, prawns etc. in order to provide food, feed and manure

Agricultural Engineering

– Deals with farm machinery for filed preparation, inter-cultivation, harvesting and post harvest processing including soil and water conservation engineering and bio-energy.

Home Science

– Deals with application and utilization of agricultural produces in a better manner in order to provide nutritional security, including value addition and food preparation.

On integration, all the seven branches, first three is grouped as for crop production group and next two animal management and last two allied agriculture branches.

Scope of Agriculture:

Agriculture is the main base of our daily life. All the thinks directly or indirectly depend on the agriculture in the world. It is a big sector of life.

Agriculture is NOT confined in soil cultivation alone; it includes all aspects of crop production, livestock farming, fisheries forestry etc.

“Agriculture is the science and art of farming including the work of cultivating the soil, producing crops, planting forest plants/trees, raising livestock and rearing fishes”.

In a true sense, it is a productive unit where the free gifts of nature—land, light, air, temperature, rainwater, humidity etc are integrated into a single primary unit (crop plants or their usable parts) indispensable for human beings.

• The secondary productive units namely, animals including livestock, birds and insects feed on these primary units and provide concentrated end products such as meat, milk, eggs, honey, wool, hide, silk and lac etc.

• Agriculture provides us food, feed, fiber, fuel, furniture, raw materials and feed –back materials for and from factories, funds and flood control. A free, fair and fresh environment, abundant food driving out famine and friendship eliminating fights.

• It also considers employment generation, economics, education, ecology, energy consumption, use of equipment, an earning for production, protection, processing, consumption, preservation and war against wastage, transport and trade.

Skills and Competencies needed to be successful in Agriculture:

Throughout your agriculture degree you'll develop a wide mix of technical skills and knowledge, including land use, farming practice and food production, as well as an understanding of the scientific, ethical and business principles that underpin the agricultural industry.

Employers will also be interested in your more general skills such as:

• numeracy and IT;

• initiative;

• organisation;

• ability to plan and conduct research;

• communication, including influencing and leadership;

• teamwork;

• ability to manage projects.

Career Prospects and Job Opportunities in Agriculture:

• Agricultural consultant

• Farm manager

• Fish farm manager

• Plant breeder/geneticist

• Rural practice surveyor

• Soil scientist

• Animal nutritionist

• Field trials officer

• Forest/woodland manager

• Sales executive

• Veterinary nurse

Admission Requirements for the study of Agriculture in Nigeria

The O'level subject combination and requirements needed to study Agriculture;

You require; Five SSCE credit passes to include English Language, Biology/Agric Science, Chemistry and any one of Mathematics, Physics, Geography and Economics.

In UTME, please note that English Language is Compulsory for this course. Therefore, the three (3) other JAMB UTME subject combination needed to studyAgriculture under the Faculty of Agriculture in the above Universities include;

Chemistry, Biology/Agriculture and any one of Physics and Mathematics.

SOME INSTITUTIONS WHERE YOU CAN STUDY AGRICULTURE:

• Adamawa State University

• Ahmadu Bello University

• Anambra State University

• Babcock University

• Bayero University Kano

• Benson Idahosa University

• Bowen University

• Bukar Abba Ibrahim University

• Crawford University

• Cross River State University of Technology