For billions of people worldwide, agriculture is the primary source of food and way of living. It has long been considered the foundation of human civilization. Today, it can help to foster shared prosperity and provide food for the expected 10 billion population by 2050. Agriculture’s role in the global economy is also significant. Contributing to 4% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) and up to 25% of GDP in the least developed nations, agriculture is also essential to economic growth.
Due to its increasing role in fostering development, it is no surprise that major donor agencies are keen to provide assistance via agriculture-focused aid programs leading to a continual need for the services of highly-skilled professionals in this field. Multiple project implementing organizations, from NGOs to private consulting businesses, regular post announcements about employment opportunities in agriculture-related projects.
Utilizing the largest aid platform, we have compiled a list of the key organizations that emerged as being the major players driving forward agricultural innovation and support. These organizations are currently the largest employers in agricultural development programs.
The agriculture industry in a nutshell
Before we jump into the largest agriculture industry employers, here are some brief facts about the industry that you might not be aware of:
- Over 1.2 billion people are directly employed by agrifood systems.
- With 793 million workers, Asia has the largest agrifood system workforce, followed by about 290 million in Africa.
- Most economically engaged people in low-income nations, especially those in Africa, work in or are involved with agrifood systems in some capacity. Agrifood systems employ 62% of the workforce in Africa, 40% in Asia and 23% in the Americas.
- According to figures from the International Labor Organization, almost 90% of agricultural jobs globally are held by informal workers.
DevelopmentAid has selected some of the major organizations that are dedicated to improving agricultural and rural development, an important sector for global development that provides crucial support to some of the world’s poorest communities.
Top employers in the agriculture development sector
(based on the DevelopmentAid job dashboard)
Chemonics International Inc.
Headquarters: USA
Nr. of employees: 1001 – 5000
Type: Consulting Organization
Current open job announcements: 33
Established in 1975, Chemonics is one of the leading global sustainable development companies, with over 6,000 local professionals spread across over 100 nations in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean as well as the Middle East.
Chemonics is dedicated to forming strategic alliances that advance agricultural development and food security and implementing novel projects that positively impact development. In agriculture, the organization works to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, facilitates new technologies in high-value agriculture and provides access to wholesome food, among others. The organization offers a variety of work options for young graduates, seasoned professionals, and everyone in between.
Chemonics seeks expertise in a variety of fields, from agricultural professionals in Mozambique to climate finance team leads in Indonesia.
🔹 Case study: Chemonics International oversees an innovation grant that provides funding for an AI business called Agrorobótica which is gathering soil samples in the flat, dry soy fields of northern Brazil’s Bahia and employing robotics to evaluate the chemistry of those samples. This innovative method of soil analysis offers several advantages to customers, large businesses, landowners, and the environment.
View Chemonics International Inc open positions here.
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Headquarters: USA
Nr. of employees: 1001 – 5000
Type: Multilateral
Current open job announcements: 31
The United Nations has a dedicated body, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), that oversees global efforts to end hunger and promote sustainable agricultural practices.
Achieving a secure food supply for all and ensuring that people regularly have a means of obtaining sufficient high-quality food to lead healthy, energetic lives are the organization’s two main objectives. FAO has 195 members, including 194 nations and the European Union, and it operates in more than 130 nations globally.
🔹 Case study: The salinity of Uzbekistan’s soils makes farming there particularly difficult. To prevent additional salinization, the FAO’s Global Soil Partnership works with soil experts in Uzbekistan to create climate-smart soil management techniques that will allow crops to flourish even in areas affected by salt.
View FAO job opportunities here.
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Headquarters: Italy
Nr. of employees: 51-200
Type: Multilateral
Current open job announcements: 14
IFAD is another United Nations specialized agency and is dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in developing countries. Given that most of the world’s impoverished reside in rural regions and rely on agriculture and allied industries for a living, IFAD concentrates on small-scale agriculture.
Since 1978, the organization has given grants and low-interest loans totaling more than US$18 billion to initiatives that have benefited roughly 462 million people.
🔹 Case study: Via training, a program implemented in Madagascar seeks to raise agricultural output and, consequently, the rural economy. The project is particularly focused on young women with low levels of education. Investing in infrastructure for agriculture, storage, and marketing, along with assistance in obtaining financing for rural areas, gives supplementary support to increase output and marketing.
View IFAD job opportunities here.
Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA)
Headquarters: USA
Nr. of employees: 501-1000
Type: NGO
Current open job announcements: 12
A global non-profit organization, Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) has branches in 16 nations across Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. Its headquarters are in Washington, D.C., and Brussels in Belgium.
The organization operates with companies, foundations, and governments to create specialized local and international alliances to satisfy the world’s expanding food needs.
Since its foundation in 1985, CNFA has created and carried out enterprise-based agricultural development programs in 45 different countries aimed at improving accessibility to markets, agribusiness competitiveness, output and input, and credit availability. Based on its 2022 report, around 612,000 people benefited from CNFA projects.
🔹 Case study: A five-year program implemented in Rwanda has the goal of boosting local consumption and farmers’ income, as well as reinforcing resistance to climate change, and improving food safety by 2028. This is expected to be achieved through optimized inputs, knowledge, technologies, methods, financing, and markets
View CNFA open job positions here.
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Headquarters: USA
Nr. of employees: 501-1000
Type: Consulting Organization
Current open job announcements: 3
Founded in 1975, the IFPRI offers research-based policy recommendations to end malnutrition and starvation and sustainably alleviate poverty in developing countries. The organization focuses on food policy issues including agriculture, food insecurity, poverty, and malnutrition. It is consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and gives government and interested parties evidence-based policy guidance. IFPRI also helps poor nations to create and implement effective food policies and research findings.
IFPRI was founded in 1975 and currently employs over 500 people in over 70 nations. It is part of the CGIAR – a global partnership that brings together organizations that are engaged in research for a food-secured future.
🔹 Case study: The Ministry of Agriculture in Bangladesh carried out a three-year program coordinated by IFPRI from 2015 to 2018 with USAID contributing a portion of the funding. The project helped to strengthen paths to women’s empowerment – especially within agriculture – and explored investments in agriculture that could harness agricultural growth for improved nutrition.
View IFPRI open positions here.
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