Last week, the Federal Cabinet approved the establishment of the ‘Prime Minister’s Skills Development Company’ to establish technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programmes.

In Pakistan, while the importance and need for such training at both diploma and certificate levels are well-recognised for the industrial and service sectors, the agriculture sector has so far been largely overlooked.

Given the fast-evolving global and national agricultural landscape, there are compelling arguments, as given below, to question how the agriculture sector fits into the country’s TVET agenda or whether it even belongs on the agenda at all.

First, the agriculture sector has traditionally remained largely static, with similar practices passed down through generations with minimal change. However, over the past 25 years, there has been considerable growth in the knowledge base driven by scientific research that has outpaced cumulative knowledge gained over centuries.

As a result, globally, the sector has evolved into a more technologically advanced, diversified, and specialised field, creating a growing demand for a dedicated workforce equipped with relevant and up-to-date skills.

Second, Pakistan’s agriculture sector, unfortunately, is plagued with subpar productivity and significantly lower crop yields than those of comparable countries. This is largely due to outdated practices and technologies that consume excessive inputs (pesticides, fertilisers, water, and diesel).

However, productivity and crop yields can be significantly enhanced in the short-to-medium term without requiring massive investments. That is why many analysts now view the sector as ‘low-hanging fruit’ with high growth potential.

Provincial vocational training currently lacks the human and institutional capacity required to address our multi-faceted needs

Third, Pakistan is actively promoting corporate farming, characterised by large-scale farming operations, mechanisation, and the use of advanced, cutting-edge technologies. It requires a workforce equipped with specialised skills and the right attitude.

Additionally, the well-educated and progressive next generation of our traditional landlords is increasingly entering the agriculture sector and striving to manage their farms like corporate entities.

Fourth, in Pakistan, where 62 per cent of the population resides in rural areas as of 2023 according to the World Bank, agricultural knowledge and skills have traditionally been passed down informally through family and community rather than via formal training.

Such methods — often reliant on peer learning — are inadequate in meeting the demands of the 21st-century agricultural system. Rooted in outdated knowledge and practices, informal methods not only require long learning cycles but also carry the risk of imparting faulty techniques and unethical behaviour.

Despite these factors, which have heightened the need for agricultural skills development in recent years, the government has yet to provide a comprehensive vision, cohesive strategy, or serious prioritisation for this sector. Without these, the agriculture sector’s ability to adapt and thrive would be greatly impaired.

Previously, the government established Technical Education and Vocational Training Authorities (TEVTAs) in each province — Punjab in 1999, Sindh in 2009, Balochistan in 2011, and KPK in 2015.

The aim was to bring TVET institutes working under various government departments under a single umbrella to eliminate inefficiencies, reduce duplication of efforts, and improve standardisation and quality control.

Regrettably, due to their inherently generalised focus, provincial TEVTAs lack the human and institutional capacity required to address the increasingly multi-layered and multi-faceted training needs of the agriculture sector.

As a result, in Punjab alone, the Punjab Vocational Training Council, the Punjab Skills Development Fund (via its implementing partners), the Punjab Agriculture Department (with its four agriculture training institutes), and agriculture universities, alongside TEVTA, are currently offering diploma and certificate programmes in the agriculture sector.

Unfortunately, these training programmes suffer from a lack of strategic focus and unified direction owing to the absence of a comprehensive country-wide skills gap analysis of the agriculture sector.

Moreover, the lack of coordination and collaboration among stakeholders and training providers exacerbates the issue. This could be one of the reasons why many existing training programmes have lost their relevance, credibility, and appeal and are struggling desperately to attract trainees.

To sum up, agricultural TVET has remained peripheral at all levels, including diplomas, certificates, and short courses, when compared to the training opportunities available in the industrial and service sectors. Even the recently introduced Matric-Tech (two-year) in schools completely lacks agriculture-related vocational trades.

Therefore, a revamped policy and a paradigm shift — whether within the existing institutional framework or through a complete restructuring — are imperative to align the TVET system with the sector’s evolving needs, driven by a focus on enhancing crop productivity, mechanisation, diversification, and value addition.

Regardless of the approach taken, one thing is for sure: Pakistan needs an agricultural TVET system that can deliver large-scale, cost-effective training programmes right to the doorsteps of both semi-literate and educated youth, utilising a blend of in-person classes and virtual platforms.

To be truly effective, the policy and training initiatives should be based on a comprehensive sector-wide skills gap analysis, which evaluates both current and future self- and wage-employment opportunities.

Khalid Wattoo is a farmer and a development professional and Erum Tarin Khuhro is a former investment banker and a working farmer from Sindh

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, August 26th, 2024