Agriculture student numbers on the up despite overall student numbers falling

Caroline Drummond, Linking Environment and Farming (Leaf) chief executive, said: “We are delighted to see the number of university students studying agriculture is on the rise.

“At Leaf we have been strengthening the connections between the public and agriculture for more than 27 years and Leaf Education is fully dedicated to engaging young people with farming, helping them understand its impact on their daily lives, as well as opening their eyes to the many exciting career opportunities in the sector.

“By doing so we are able to nurture an appreciation of farming from a young age, while helping to shape our farmers of the future.”

Agriculture

Both agricultural and veterinary science were both more heavily dominated by females, the Knowledge Academy said, with figures at 77.3 per cent of veterinary students and more than 60 per cent of agricultural students.

It came as the industry slammed a report which suggested putting students off ‘lower earning’ university subjects – including agriculture.

The report, ‘A question of degree’, said of the 8,425 undergraduate students enrolled in agriculture and related subjects in the 2016/17 academic year, it was expected they would be earning about £24,300 10 years after graduation.