Agricultural Technician

Job overview
Agricultural technicians assist people in the farming industry by giving advice and information, much of which they will have assembled themselves.

What do people do in this job?
There are three kinds of agricultural technician:- agricultural resource technicians, agricultural extension technicians and agricultural research technicians.

Agricultural resource technicians:

• work together with an agricultural resource officer. They are involved in the classification, description and plotting of a region's natural resources.

Agricultural extension technicians:

• assist an agricultural extension officer. They collect agricultural information to determine the needs for agricultural extension.

This information is then used to plan agricultural extension activities.

Agricultural extension technicians are also involved in the classification of agricultural resources and the planning of farms. They advise farmers on specific farming methods.

Agricultural research technicians?:

• help agricultural researchers with their work but can also undertake their own research projects in one of the following fields: Botany, Agricultural Microbiology, Analytical Chemistry, Zoology, Veterinary Science, Food Technology, Agricultural Meteorology and Soil Science.

Some engineering technicians, namely civil, mechanical, electrical/ electronic and civil agricultural engineering technicians are also involved in the agricultural industry.

They use their knowledge of engineering to solve problems with regard to irrigation schemes, soil conservation, agricultural structures, agricultural mechanisation and the use of electronics and electricity.

What kinds of people are suitable for this career?
Prospective agricultural technicians must like to work with soil, plants and animals.

They should be inquisitive and have good interpersonal skills because they have to offer information and advice to farmers.

What qualifications are needed?
Agricultural technicians can work in government departments of agriculture, water affairs forestry etc.

Bodies such as agricultural research councils and agricultural co-operatives also employ them.

One can act as consultant for farmers and agricultural co-operations.