By Prossy Nandudu
During the session, Patrick Muhinda, the School farm manager and Farm camp manager at Gayaza High School shared with students various employment opportunities in the agriculture sector.
Food Scientists: He gave an example of students who have mixed various fruits, ingredients to make fruit juices, adding that that is the work of a food scientist. He added to become a qualified food scientist, they have to enrol at Makerere and Kyambogo universities after senior six exams to pursue such a course, which is in agriculture.
Agriculture Engineering: He explained to students that all the agriculture machines like irrigation,tractors,milking machines that were exhibited at the expo, are examples of the work of agriculture engineers.
Agriculture Economics. An economist studies trends in the markets so as to advice farmers what to invest in based on the trends.
Food inspectors/Standards officers: Food inspectors are usually in charge of food quality and standards. They first analyze any food product using the set standards before they can issue a quality mark to prove that such an item can be consumed or not. He added that his school cannot sale their yogurt outside the school due to the lack of quality mark from Uganda National Bureau of Statistics.
Veterinary medicine: To manage livestock health and production in general.
Precision farming: Which involves the use of modern technologies in agriculture like machinery, computer generated apps among others. Other areas include soil-less farming through hydroponics, fish farming and vegetable farming through hydroponics, vertical gardening, Sales persons, and warehouse managers among others.
Soil Scientists, to analyze the soils so as to advise the farmer the missing nutrients from the soil, and then recommend the kind of nutrients or fertilizers that a farmer should apply.
Extension workers/agronomists who advise farmers on what to plant, when, diseases and pest identification and management among others. According to Muhinda, these are in high demand and usually work under the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries.
To supplement Muhinda’s advice to youth, Jimmy Isoba in charge of agriculture classes at Iganga SS hailed Vision Group for organizing a season for students, to learn about the existing employment opportunities in the agriculture value chain for the youth today.
At Iganga Secondary School we have inspired and endeavor to change the mind-set of the youth towards agriculture and through the school farm camp at Gayaza high Schools, we have taken away alto f information that has increased student interest in agriculture, we now have students earning from agriculture and those who are out of school, have taken it up as a career,” Isoba said.
He added that at his school, students are engaged in the many value chains in Agriculture including farming, value addition, and bakery among others.
