The work of the agriculture career cluster includes a diverse set of products and processes—from raising crops used in food and textile production to breeding livestock and hunting wild game; from fisheries to wildlife conservation. This cluster also includes running agriculture businesses, advancements in agriculture technology, and managing sustainability and water resources.
Agriculture is one of the oldest occupations of humankind, and essential to human survival. Early in the last century, 30% of the U.S. population lived on farms, while that figure is now less than 1%. Today, corporations own approximately 5% of U.S. farms, with the remainder owned and operated by families.
Many different types of organizations make up the agriculture industry. Each type has a unique role in farming, processing, distributing, or improving agricultural resources. These include farms and ranches, research and educational institutions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and technology companies.
Collectively, these diverse organizations form an interconnected network, driving advancements in agriculture, ensuring global food security, environmental sustainability, and economic growth.
Several important trends are shaping agriculture jobs, changing the skills workers will need and the opportunities available. For example, precision agriculture is using technology, like GPS and sensors, to farm more efficiently by giving plants exactly the right amount of water, nutrients, and care they need to grow best. There is also a growing focus on protecting the environment and creating sustainable food systems. Because of this, there is more demand for jobs involving regenerative agriculture, conservation, reducing carbon in the atmosphere, and utilizing water sustainably.
These trends are making agriculture jobs more specialized, technology-driven, and environmentally focused, significantly changing career opportunities in the coming years.
Quick facts:
- On average, one U.S. farm feeds about 169 people annually.
- Autonomous tractors and harvesters are becoming more common, reducing labor and increasing precision in planting, watering, and harvesting.
- Roughly 30–40% of food is wasted in the supply chain, from farm to table, leading to new programs, such as promoting “ ugly produce campaigns” and food donation networks.
- Climate change and environmental stress is impacting crop yields, leading to new strategies for farming, such as regenerative agriculture and agroforestry.
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