Introduction to the Skills Framework for Agriculture

The Skills for Agriculture (SfA) version 2 is the new version of the global skills and competency framework for the agriculture world.

It is created by CABI, with support from contributors around the world.

Background

The initial Skills for Agriculture framework was published in 2022. It was a very long list of skills that apply to those who advise small-holder farmers, produced through contributions from CABI staff as well as organisations around the world.

This new iteration builds on the first, with several main improvements:

1. The skills framework is now designed to be able to apply to a much wider range of roles across agriculture and across regions.
2. We have created descriptors for each skill with up to seven levels. Level 1 describes roles where the individual has little autonomy and influence, the context is less complex, and the amount of knowledge required is minimal. Level 7 describes roles where the individual has full autonomy and lots of influence, in complex contexts and requiring a great deal of knowledge.
3. We have slimmed down the list of skills from over 200, to around 30. We have achieved this through aggregation of many skills and removing duplicates.
4. The framework is now easier to navigate and much more practical to use. We can now describe job roles by the skills and the levels required, and can use the framework to map out career pathways and training opportunities.

The original framework focussed solely on the farmer advisor type roles. With the new structure, we are now able to describe roles that might lead to being a farmer advisor, and roles that might take people further.

These changes have been the result of a continuous consultation exercise, working with organisations and staff from around the world.