Education and Training Futures in Horticulture and Horticultural Science

What knowledge is required to grow food? A framework for understanding horticulture's skills ‘crisis’

“…A final connection between labour and knowledge is the portrayal of horticultural work as unskilled to justify poor pay and casualisation: if anyone can do it then untrained people only available for a season are suitable, require minimal training and deserve the lowest possible rewards (Hernandez, 2012;Klocker et al, 2019). But what appear to be routine tasks, are complex and skilled (Aldous et al, 2014). Experienced workers are faster and more accurate at tasks such as fruit harvesting because with time and practice they develop their abilities, becoming sources of knowledge valuable to production (Curtain et al, 2018;Dun and Klocker, 2017;Klocker et al, 2019).…”

“…Growing ornamental plants, and management of plant landscapes are economically significant sectors with parallel challenges. horticultural skills, highlighting shortages of specialists, educational programmes and traineeships, plus a diminishing research capacity (Aldous et al, 2014;Aldous and Pratley, 2016;ABARES, 2019;Bumgarner et al, 2019;Curtain et al, 2018;Devlin, 2016;Hertz and Zahniser, 2013;Horticulture New Zealand, 2018;Meydering, 2016;Preibisch, 2007;Richards, 2018;Strawbridge et al 2011). Since the 1990s UK horticultural research and development (R&D) has suffered declining investment, privatisation and closure of specialist facilities, inhibiting innovation (Menary et al, 2019;NHF, 2008).…”

“…The sector has expressed concern that research capacity is insufficient to meet current demand, and is not aligned with growers' needs (NHF, 2008). To become more resilient, food growing requires a broader range of knowledge (Aldous et al, 2014;Curry et al, 2012;ISHS 2012), enabling new practices, crops, products and technologies (Dicks et al, 2013). Horticulture also tends to be the most labour intensive form of agriculture (ONS, 2018), making the prospect of worsening labour shortages a long-standing concern globally (Meyerding, 2016;ISHS, 2012).…”