Efforts to entice the next generation of agricultural workers include an emphasis on agtech. California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross said the need is clear for a more robust workforce. A lack of labor has been a common issue in many areas of the overall food supply chain. As technology continues to advance and become integrated within agriculture, Ross said it provides a great opportunity to attract young people to ag.
“Especially with programs like what Western Growers has been doing this last year, to really showcase the exiting and meaningful work in agriculture. Whether it’s in the field, or in a lab, or in a plant, or creating the next app,” Ross noted. “Especially with technology, it really opens up I think, a career pathway for so many young people that might not normally even think of agriculture as a place for them.”
A central part of attracting the next generation of agricultural workers has been the AgTechX Ed initiative. The overall effort is to upskill the ag workforce to keep pace with changing technology. However, it also serves as a showcase for the opportunities within the food supply chain. The next AgTechX Ed Summit is being held at Bakersfield College on May 16. Ross said that academic institutions will have a critical role in helping broaden the horizons of students to see the full scope of opportunities available within agriculture.
“All of our ag schools in the CSU and UC system are doing very well on oversubscription so to speak, which is a really good thing,” Ross explained. “I think the younger we can introduce young people to ag as a pathway that could be right for them, the smarter it will be for all of us. But I see agtech as really being a way of opening the door.”
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