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conferenceseries
.com
Volume 6, Issue 4 (Suppl)
Agrotechnology, an open access journal
ISSN: 2168-9881
Agri 2017
October 02-04, 2017
allied
academies
10
th
International Conference on
AGRICULTURE & HORTICULTURE
October 02-04, 2017 London, UK
Hey “Ag” what’s your pension plans?
Raghavan Sampathkumar
Food & Agribusiness Consultant, Singapore
G
lobally, agriculture sector has undergone tremendous transformation in the last few decades. Our generation is facing
some of the challenges unlike none of our predecessors. Owing to sustained increase in per-capita incomes enhancing
life-expectancy, developed countries are ageing faster that nearly a third or more of their population is aged 50 and above. But,
the developing world is endowed with a relatively larger share of young people. Perhaps, this ‘work-force’ macro crisis affects
all the industries globally. Current median age of farmers from New Zealand to Alaska is between 50 and 60 years or even
more in countries like Japan. With exceptions in Asia and Africa, this is a visible global macro trend and is definitely a matter
of concern for the humanity. Instead of succession or transition plan, the word ‘pension plan’ is chosen as the title since relates
readily to old age and subtly but strongly emphasizes ageing farmers. Hence the question “if the global food & agriculture
industry were a person, what are (or should be) his/her pension plans?” To feed 9 billion people with adequate quantities of
safe, nutritious and quality food by 2050, the world needs to produce nearly 60 percent more food. Technological innovations
and scientific advancements are helping the industry but shortage of talent and skills has emerged a serious issue. Whether
agribusiness is one of the top career paths for the youngsters needs to be examined deeply to ensure the industry continues to
attract and retains best creative minds and skilled hands to feed us in future. Apart from improving overall perception on the
agri-food industry among youth, it also is necessary to address gender equality appropriately. This paper is about analyzing the
current situation and identifying key issues that need to be addressed in this regard. Also it elicits the crucial roles of different
stakeholders including governments, policymakers, private sector and civil societies to collaborate in nurturing young talents.
raghavan@smartagbiz.asiaAgrotechnology 2017, 6:4(Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2168-9881-C1-028