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Global agriculture

The demand for a career in global agriculture is growing. By the year 2050, global food production will need to increase by 70 percent to feed the world’s estimated 9 billion people.

Currently 37 percent of the world’s workforce is employed in agriculture. More workers will be needed to meet growing nutritional needs around the world. Agriculture accounts for 34 percent of land use and 70 percent of water use globally.

Careers in global agriculture will involve managing natural resources, addressing the emission of greenhouse gasses and patterns in global climate change, managing pest control to ensure healthy crop production, and developing the use of more sustainable energy sources. Are you interested in tackling large-scale challenges like these? Are you interested in travel? Do you enjoy studying languages and other cultures? A career in global agriculture might be for you! 


Global issues require people from many different careers to engage in finding solutions. Some careers—like banking and marketing—may not at first appear to be connected to global agriculture, but the skills of those professions can be applied to solve global issues. Other careers – like international law, policy analyst and international agriculture development—are, by their very nature, global in focus. In general, those who work in global agriculture are involved in projects that help achieve food security and sustainable farming around the world. The projects they undertake are usually complex and require approaches from several areas of expertise to solve them. This is why global agriculture involves such a diverse range of professions.

Careers in Global agriculture

  • Banker
  • Biologist
  • Director of Non-Governmental Organizations
  • Educator/Extension Agent
  • Foreign Policy Media Analyst
  • Health Professional
  • International Law
  • International Market Manager
  • International Trade Consultant
  • Market Research & Analytics
  • Nutritionist
  • Product Designer
  • Production Manager
  • Service Technician
  • Sustainability Coordinator
  • Trade Policy Analyst
  • Transportation & Logistics Expert
  • Web Design/Web Development

(From Seametrics Blog, 2012 and Mother Nature Network, 2016)

Global agriculture resources at GNG

Created in partnership with the Columbus Council on World Affairs.