Scarce skills in agriculture

Agricultural biotechnologist

What is an agricultural biotechnologist?

Biotechnology is essentially technology based on biology. An agricultural biotechnologist modifies living organisms (or parts of an organism) to improve our health and our lives.

A biotechnologist could use traditional breeding techniques to achieve this, or manipulate, replace, add, or remove specific genes to achieve a chosen outcome. An example of a biotechnologist’s work is genetically modified food and antibiotics.

Where could you work?

A biotechnologist’s work is researchbased, and you could therefore work at any of the research institutions in South Africa, such as the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) or the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), or at a university. Government departments employ agricultural biotechnologists. In the private sector, there are opportunities in the pharmaceutical sector, food fermentation industry (and brewing companies), dairies, seed companies or private pathologists.

Where can you study?

There are opportunities to study for a diploma, a bachelor’s degree, and postgraduate degrees (depending on your institution of choice). A BSc in microbiology and botany is another avenue (followed by a postgraduate degree in biotechnology). Institutions include the following:

• Cape Peninsula University of Technology

• The Durban University of Technology

• Rhodes University

• Tshwane University of Technology

• Unisa

• The University of Cape Town

• The University of Johannesburg

• The University of Pretoria

• Stellenbosch University

• The University of the Free State

• The University of the Western Cape

• The University of the Witwatersrand

What subjects and themes are you likely to study?

Universities offer a wide variety of undergraduate curricula, but most allow you to major in biotechnology. Other subjects include microbiology and biochemistry. There are also many postgraduate opportunities in biotechnology.

What is the duration of the certificate/diploma/degree?

Most degrees majoring in biotechnology take three years to complete.

General entry level-requirements to study agricultural biotechnology:

For a BSc in biotechnology:

Matric exemption

Mathematics 5 (60%–69%)

Physical science 5 (60%–69%)

Biology (recommended)