WASHINGTON, March 19, 2014 – Too few
scientists are being trained in agriculture areas of science, according to a
study released by the Coalition for a
Sustainable Agriculture Workforce (CSAW).
While the study found that life-sciences
and agricultural industry companies expect to increase hiring of trained
scientists over the next several years, the CSAW said there is “growing concern”
they won’t be able to find suitable candidates.
“This challenge is all the more critical
due to the need to double the global food supply to meet the needs of a growing
population,” the coalition said in a news release. “The agriculture field is
also challenged with limited water and arable land, climate variation, and
lower budgets for research.”
According to the study, agriculture
industry and life-sciences companies expect to hire more than 1,000
scientist-level employees through 2015, or about 13 percent of their current
agricultural scientist workforce. The largest numbers of scientists, 84 percent
of the total, are needed in the disciplines of plant sciences, plant
breeding/genetics, and plant protection. Nearly half of those hired will need
doctoral degrees.
“These preliminary data suggest there may
be not only long-term skills and training issues, but also very near-term
issues to hire the staff needed for the work required,” CSAW said.
The coalition was organized by a
consortium of agribusiness companies and scientific societies to promote the
education and training of future generations of the agricultural workforce. Members
include Cargill Inc., Kellogg Co., Monsanto Co. and Bayer Crop Science.
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