Professor Richard Napier is based at Warwick Crop Centre which is part of the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick. He worked at East Malling before moving to Wellesbourne as part of the restructuring of UK horticulture into HRI in the 1990s, and then became a member of faculty at the University of Warwick when HRI fused with the University’s Dept of Biology in 2005. As a plant scientist he has worked across many projects and with many disciplines, including chemistry, engineering and, recently, with Warwick Manufacturing Group as part of the Warwick Agri-Tech initiative. He has also led projects with the University’s Institute of Employment Research, including a current project with The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH) to preview skills and training needs for 2040.

Surveying future skills and training needs

Agriculture and horticulture are becoming ever more automated. Does this mean farmers and growers can sit back and rely on smart phone apps, AI and robotics in the future? What skills and training will smart farmers and smart growers need to be successful? I will report on some preliminary survey findings and offer a viewpoint for discussion.