Agriculture and land
Nature and land provide a wide range of environmental work and agriculture jobs. This gives you the opportunity to feed the country through sustainable food production and help tackle the greenhouse gas emissions through this industry.
The impact you could make
- Making a difference every day to sustainable food production.
- Contributing to the environment and making our planet more green.
- An opportunity to be self-employed or be a contractor working with a range of employers.
The opportunities within agriculture and land
Discover the range of opportunities within agriculture and get ready to tackle issues facing the sector, such as sustainably feeding the population.
Employment
There are currently 38,100 people employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing.*
Job availability
Between 2022 to 2025, there will be roughly 10,200 people needed to fill job openings.*
Job diversity
The top 3 skills requested by most employers are, teamwork and collaboration, land management and customer service.*
*Skills Sector Assessment 2022
When I was young I just always had an interest in the dairy industry.
It's very important that you're a people person, you've got to be confident in what you're saying and you've got to be able to get dirty and just get in about it!
Annie Bryson
Ruminant Nutritionist
Explore agriculture and land jobs
We’ve pulled out some of the popular agriculture and land jobs for you to explore.
Some things you may not know about agriculture and land
Technology plays a big part in agriculture and farming! Vehicles have computer displays installed to support precision farming, increase productivity and support a sustainable approach.
Biodiversity improvements are supported by many farmers. They manage woodlands, hedgerows and leave some areas of their farmland as 'set aside' to allow space for nature.
The industry can offer an international career. There are opportunities to travel for harvest work all over the world!
What subjects to take
We've pulled together some examples of subjects that could be useful for getting into an agriculture and land career.
- Environmental science
- Rural skills
- English
- Maths
- PE
- Food and drink FA
- Business
- Physics
For most jobs, you might not need specific subjects. If your school does not provide all of these subjects or you're just unsure — do not worry. There are many more subjects you can explore by using the Option Choices tool or speaking to your careers adviser in your school.
What routes you can take
There are different options you can choose from after school. We’ve pulled together some of them to help you decide which is best for you.
Agriculture and land industry partners
Discover some of the partners within agriculture and land and find out how they’re contributing to the industry.
Lantra
Lantra develop training and qualifications in a wide range of areas such as forestry, agriculture and landscape – plus more.
National Farmers Union Scotland (NFU)
NFU Scotland supports and promotes members to achieve a sustainable and profitable future for Scotland agriculture.
Royal Highland Education Trust
The Royal Highland Education Trust works with volunteers to provide free educational activities and experimental learning opportunities.
Rare Breeds Survival Trust
The charity is dedicated to the conservation and development of the UK's native breeds of farm livestock.