Agriculture

The agriculture sector involves the practice of growing crops and rearing animals to provide food, wool and other products. It includes horticulture, fruit growing, seed growing, dairy farming, breeding and keeping of livestock, the use of land for grazing, meadows, osier (willow), market gardens, nurseries, and some woodlands. Also included in this sector is the forestry and fishing industries.

There are over

jobs in this sector in Hull and East Yorkshire

This accounts for nearly

of jobs in the region

Did you know?

70% of land in the UK is used for agriculture.
90% of the land in East Yorkshire is used for agriculture.
The number of jobs in agriculture in Hull and East Yorkshire has grown by 24% since 2015 (+1,490 jobs), the third highest percentage growth of any sector
About 54% of food on our plates is produced in the UK, including the majority of grains, meat, dairy, and eggs. 54% of our fresh vegetables and 16% of our fruit are also produced in the UK.
The total labour force working on commercial agricultural holdings in the UK in 2023 was 462,074.
In 2022, agriculture’s contribution to the UK economy (Gross Value Added) was £13.9Bn (0.6% of GDP), up 15% on 2021.

Source: Defra Survey of Agriculture & Horticulture (June 2023), BRES (2022), UK Food Security Report (December 2021)

Will there be opportunities available?

The number of people employed in agriculture in the UK is expected to grow by 3.5% between 2020 and 2035.
The biggest medium to long term risk to the UK’s domestic food production comes from climate change and other environmental pressures like soil degradation, water quality and biodiversity. To overcome these challenges, the sector will be using more innovative and automated technologies, which will drive demand for engineers, scientists, researchers and mathematicians.
Emerging technologies like vertical farming may go some way towards reducing carbon emissions in the food supply chain and reducing our reliance on overseas fruit and vegetable imports. It could also create exciting new job opportunities in the sector.

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035: Occupational Outlook, Nuffield Foundation

Check out careers in the Agriculture sector in Career of the Week

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