Written by the amazing Rebecca Pickering from our blog team.
Ever noticed when you look around farms or almost any sector of agriculture, you rarely see young people? Well, that’s because young people seem to be finding it difficult to find the will to work on the land. With the average Australian farmer approaching 52 years of age, today’s generation is left with one harrowing question: “What will happen to this multi-billion dollar industry that feeds the nation?”
For many years, governments around the country have been giving incentives for students to study agriculture. In addition, show societies are a crucial aspect within local communities to enable the youth of today’s world to immerse themselves in the wonderful world of agriculture. However, young people of today still seem to be perplexed at the thought of taking up a career in agriculture.
What most Australians don’t realise is the diverse range of careers within agriculture, ranging from primary producers to logistics and even office based jobs. Sectors such as agribusiness are currently growing at such a fast rate that the number of university graduates are currently unable to fill the demand.
I personally believe that this concern facing Australian agriculture comes down to two main issues.
The first issue I believe to be aiding the decline of young people in agriculture is the growing awareness among youth of the painstaking challenges faced by farmers, seen first hand through increased media coverage.
The second issue is what I believe to be the main reason for the blind eye given to agriculture by young people. Country students are now more than ever being urged to study at university, which is resulting in ageing agricultural workers. A number of regional students are being encouraged to attend boarding schools, believing this will better their education and increase their potential to study at university. Thus, farms which have been handed down through generations are now being abandoned in the wake of emerging lawyers and psychologists which are becoming extremely commonly studied.
Whilst young rural kids should have the same opportunities as every other child in this nation, a change in approach must be taken to inform students who come from a non-rural background of the dire demand for people in agriculture. Drastic changes must be made now before it is too late for Australia’s agricultural sector, which offers such a versatile and wide range of jobs available to everyone, no matter their background. Agriculture is the primary sector of Australia’s economy, and without an increase in young people taking up an agricultural career, Australia could lose one of the most iconic sectors it was built on.