Managing change in the agriculture sector: The need for innovative educational initiatives

The agricultural sector was the engine of growth before the 1970s and continued to be so until the late 1970s, when prices of the major agricultural commodities declined substantially. Since then the government shifted its attention to the fast growing industrial, construction and services sectors. The "booming sector syndrome" caused the agricultural sector to decline further until 1984, when the government felt there was a need to revitalize the sector by introducing the National Agricultural Policy. The agriculture's share of the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) continued its long-term decline from 22.9% in 1980 to 18.7% in 1990, 13.6% in 1995 and 8.4% in 2000. In contrast, the share of manufacturing sector has increased from 8.7% in 1980 to 30.2% in 1990, and 39.9% in 1995. In 2000, however, it dropped to 33.4% due the slowdown of the United States economy. At the turn of the century, the agriculture sector appears to undergo significant changes as a result of the changing trends in the world and domestic markets. This paper lists down some of the new perceptions towards the agriculture sector. To enhance the development of the agricultural sector, the agricultural sector should be looked from a wider perspective. It would include the entire agribusiness system, i.e. input, primary production and processing, and manufacturing sub sectors. Relevant strategies will have to be developed so that adjustments can be made to cater for the changing economic environment. The product-based approach adopted by NAP3 replacing the commodity based approach is consistent with the new perceptions of agriculture. To ensure the success of the product-based approach, innovative educational initiatives need to be developed and implemented.

Text 120501.pdf - Published Version Download (570kB)

Actions (login required)

View Item