The Next Generation of Farmers: Assessing University Students' Views on Farming as a Career Path

Sofía Alexandra Bursic Milasevicius

Bakalářská práce

Abstract:

The agri-food industry, which is responsible for ensuring food security, plays a crucial role in the global economy and environment, particularly in addressing the challenge of feeding an increasing population while conserving natural resources. However, the question has been raised about how agriculture will be able to remain competitive and ensure enough food supply in the future. Subsequently, scientists and policymakers have acknowledged that the agri-food industry is at risk due to the lack of generational renewal, which is threatening the sustainability of agriculture, and this trend has been explained as the young farmer dilemma. This thesis examined the main factors contributing to the young farmer dilemma and the challenges faced by young farmers from a global perspective. The identified research gap is the absence of scientific research on the interest of international and national agricultural students in pursuing farming as a career. This study goes more in-depth by comparing the responses of Czech and international students to determine the main differences. The objectives were to address the interest of university students from the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, in becoming farmers and the factors that may have influenced their decision in pursuing farming as a career. A non-random sampling method was used. The survey was conducted among 130 students during November and December 2022. The data were analyzed statistically utilizing the Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-Square test, and the Ordered Probit Model. The main findings suggest that international students and students with farming experience showed a higher interest in farming compared to Czech students and those without farming experience. Czech students exhibited a greater degree of concern toward the prospect of failure in farming and were less motivated by economic success compared to international students. International students were less motivated by the lifestyle benefits of farming compared to Czech students. Females were less likely to express interest in farming compared to males, whereas students from an urban origin were less likely to consider it as a career option. The findings of this research could provide valuable insights, which could assist in developing potential strategies to promote farming as a viable career option for students.

Keywords

Young farmer dilemma, Young farmer challenges, Agricultural students

Jazyk práce: angličtina

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 14. 4. 2023

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Vedoucí: Ing. Tereza Pilařová, Ph.D.

Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze

Fakulta tropického zemědělství

Bakalářský studijní program:
International Cooperation in Agricultural and Rural Development