Gender inequality and few opportunities for migrant workers mean that farmers increasingly share a common trait. They are starting to look old. But there are some innovative ideas for how to reverse that ageing trend.
Four years ago, Andrés MacGillivray took an unusual decision. He had a high-flying job as a project manager at a pharmaceuticals company in Canada and looked set for a cushy corporate career. Instead, he chose to pack it in and return to his native Argentina to work on his family’s farm.
Although he grew up surrounded by agriculture, MacGillivray, 37, never thought he would become a farmer himself. He studied environmental engineering and dreamed of working in water management or renewable energy. But today, he grows carrots in Santa Fe province, in northeastern Argentina, and green leafy vegetables at a vast hydroponic farm just outside Buenos Aires.
In turning to farming, MacGillivray is bucking a global trend. Worldwide, the percentage of people who work in agriculture has dropped from 44% in 1991 to 26% in 2020, according to data from the International Labor Organization. That’s partly down to the growing use of agricultural technology, but it also points to a bigger problem: many people don’t want to work on farms anymore.
