Last July, the agricultural multinational Syngenta launched a recruitment campaign for technological and creative professionals who want to dedicate their skills to the development of the digital agriculture.

It is one of the many job vacancies that companies in the agri-food sector are demanding and that are very difficult to cover. Thus, professionals are sought who are capable of meeting the future challenges posed by food production throughout its value chain and who require the use of technology such as remote sensing, sensors, drones, big data, Internet of Things, artificial vision, robots, Artificial Intelligence, digital twins, blockchain or cybersecurity.

The 'hunt' for these professional profiles comes even when they are in the training period, joining the labor market even before finishing their studies. It is a profession close to full employment but that is still very unknown among young people, who continue to see the field as a traditional sector, oblivious to the high doses of innovation, modernity and cutting-edge technology that can be found in this profession.

“The field does not find enough engineers to carry out the necessary digital transformation what does he need food industry, since the demand for agricultural engineers is higher than the graduates who complete their studies every year». And it is even more complicated "to find a profile that provides a specialization in digital agriculture," he says. Manuel Perez Ruiz, Professor at the Higher Technical School of Agronomic Engineering (Etsiam) of the University of Seville and director of the Master's Degree in Digital Agriculture and Agrifood Innovation.

Looking ahead to the new academic year that will start in September, Etsiam offers 170 places in the Degree in Agricultural Engineering, in addition to 20 places in the Double Degree of Agricultural Engineering with Environmental Sciences that is carried out with the Pablo de Olavide University, and 30 seats more than Master in Agricultural Engineering. "Each year about 150 places are filled, approximately 70% completing the degree," says Manuel Pérez.

Regarding Own Master's Degree in Digital Agriculture and Agrifood Innovation of the University of Seville, which will begin its fifth edition in October, «every year about 25 students take it, and practically all of them finish it». «Both during the Master and for the students who have already finished it, there are companies that ask us for trainees who are then hired, even if they have not finished the training”, points out the director of the Master.

The most demanded profile is agronomist with training in digital agriculture and «95% of the students comply with this, although students from other related degrees are enrolled in the Master's degree, who are also highly demanded in other parts of the agri-food industry chain, such as biologists, graduates of other engineering or even computer scientists ». They are students with another degree "who have in common a great agricultural knowledge due above all to living in an agricultural environment and/or having farms in which they can exercise and carry out this new way of doing much more sustainable agriculture," he points out. the teacher.

University of Cordoba

In the training of agricultural engineers, the Superior Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering (Etsiam) of the University of Córdoba is also a benchmark. Six years ago, the School promoted the creation of a Master in Digital Transformation of the Agrifood and Forestry Sector (DigitalAgri) with 35 places, emerged "from the alliance between the Administration, the University, the company and the sector, with the aim of promoting and accompanying the agri-food sector in this process of digital transformation", explains the director of Etsiam, Gallardo Rose.

«The digital transformation of the agri-food sector is not an option, it is a necessity to respond to the great challenges that it must address today, and that the geopolitical situation we are going through has only made it more acute. Digitization is the instrument to advance simultaneously in greater profitability, productivity and sustainability. And for this, professionals with domain expertise are needed, who know how the agri-food sector works, but who also have sufficient digital skills.

«This professional is the one we are trained in our School and is the one that agricultural and agri-food companies are demanding». «The demand is very high, and it is higher than the number of agronomists that we are currently training”, emphasizes Gallardo.

"We received many job offers, more than we can attend». "Various profiles are sought: production, projects, agri-food industry, biotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, new foods, international trade, business management, logistics, renewable energies... But digital skills are common to all of them," explains the director of Etsiam .

From the university sphere, it is ensured that this demand is being responded to and the training of agricultural engineers is being adapted: «Digital skills are permeating our degrees. The training of the agricultural engineer is evolving to adapt to the demands of a sector that requires professionals with increasingly broad and diverse skills. And in front of current challenge of the digital transformation of the field, agronomists with digital skills are absolutely essential", says Rosa Gallardo.

Lack of interest

Despite the fact that the profession is highly demanded, what is the reason for this lack of interest in working in the field?
Manuel Pérez is clear about it: «Ignorance of professional opportunities and of the degree itself». «It must be promulgated that the professional opportunities are very broad, not only having application in the agronomic part, but in the following phases of the food chain, since there are many jobs for agronomists in the industries».

Rosa Gallardo speaks in the same vein, pointing out that "it is urgent to convey to young people how versatile, innovative and exciting the agronomic Engineering. There is a great lack of knowledge of an absolutely essential, strategic and innovative profession».

In this regard, he points out that "agronomic engineering undoubtedly has a future because the future of the world's food is in our hands, and that is something that has always been strategic, and even more so at the present time». "These circumstances contain arguments of sufficient motivation for young people to look towards this profession as a priority option for professional development."

Manuel Pérez insists that the best way to motivate young people is “in the use of new technologies applicable to the agri-food sector, which are very attractive to them. It is something that is becoming closer to them in their daily lives but they are not aware that it can be applied to the development of many professional activities».

In the different subjects, more and more new technologies and tools are introduced "that are far from the traditional idea that we still have of the farmer. In addition to traditional machinery, there is the use of robots, drones, sensors, communication and data collection systems that allow the needs of the crop to be analyzed in real time to help decision-making, which leads to improved efficiency as well as to the increase in control and quality of what is produced”, concludes the professor at the University of Seville.