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Areas of Practice

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Agriculture

Click on a practice area for details.

Agriculture

Agricultural economics and trade

Involves policy, international trade and economic analysis

Activities:

  • Work within government, banking and industry or provide independent consulting services
  • Research and teaching with various organizations, universities and colleges

 

Agricultural finance

Involves interactions between agriculture and financial institutions

Involves studying the effects of economic policies on agriculture and farm-operator families and businesses

Activities:

  • Agricultural loans
  • Manage lending portfolios for producers
  • Agri-business and agri-food operations
Agricultural technology transfer

Involves optimizing the use of input products such as fertilizers, pesticides and animal nutrition products

Activities:

  • Work for agricultural retail outlets, focused on the business side of production agriculture
  • Work closely with specialists including researchers to ensure their clients’ production needs are met
  • Provide advice to support productivity, resource conservation and profitability

 

Agro-environmental

Core knowledge areas:

Use scientific knowledge integrating plant nutrition, soil chemistry and physics, ecology, plant pests, geomatics and hydrology to reduce agricultural impact on the environment

Activities:

  • Improving nutrient management
  • Integrated pest management
  • Adoption of conservation tillage soil
  • Planning and protection of riparian streams
  • Planning windbreaks map
Agroforestry (some provinces have a distinctive profession for this area of practice)

Involves land management practices that incorporate woody perennials into an agricultural production system

Activities:

  • Tree physiology
  • Soil fertility and chemistry
  • Weed management
  • Tree pathology
  • Pest management

 

Aquaculture

Core knowledge areas:

  • Fish health and nutrition
  • Shellfish production
  • Physiology of aquatic animals
  • Aquacultural engineering

Activities:

  • Manage or provide technical inputs for fish farms
  • Conduct research on fish or shellfish production
  • Conduct environmental assessments on proposed sites
  • Advise on fish health and nutrition requirements

 

Crop development, production and management

Core knowledge areas:

  • Plant breeding and genetics
  • Plant physiology and nutrition
  • Pest management

Members may work with food, industrial and other special purpose crops

Activities:

  • Develop new crops and/or improve existing crops
  • Crop rotation planning
  • Field scouting
  • Crop variety and tissue testing
  • Provide agronomic consultation to producers
  • Identify and control crop disease
  • Identify nutrient needs and deficiencies
Food science and technology

Core knowledge areas:

Using basic sciences such as chemistry, food microbiology, biochemistry, plant metabolism and agriculture production sciences in order to develop food processes and ensure product quality

Activities:

  • Research and development
  • Quality management
  • New product production
  • Ensure products do not cause harm
  • Management of industrial food processes
Horticulture, fruit, vegetable and turf development, production and management

Core knowledge areas:

  • Plant breeding and genetics
  • Plant physiology and nutrition for horticultural crops
  • Integrated pest management

Activities:

  • Market gardening
  • Orchard management
  • Turf management
  • Develop and manage vegetation for landscaping
  • Optimization of crop conditions

 

International development

Includes a wide variety of expertise related to international development work including crop and livestock production, hydrology, financial management, environmental remediation and protection, marketing, and economic and community development

Activities:

  • Assist with crop and livestock production
  • Community development
  • Disaster relief

 

Land evaluation, conservation planning and management

Core knowledge areas:

  • Economics
  • Soil chemistry and fertility
  • Physical geography
  • Landscape pedology
  • Crop condition optimization

Activities:

  • Develop optimization and conservation plans
  • Develop policies and programs
  • Land capability classification
  • Plan regional and municipal land use
Livestock development, production and management

Core knowledge areas:

  • Animal breeding and genetics
  • Animal physiology and nutrition
  • Animal husbandry

Activities:

  • Develop new breeds and/or improve existing breeds
  • Manage herd or flock health
  • General herd or flock management
  • Feed production and processing
  • Consult with producers
  • Develop livestock housing

 

Rural community development and support

Enhances the quality of rural life, communities and the environment

Core knowledge areas:

  • Rural sociology
  • Psychology
  • Economics

Activities:

  • Develop policies and programs
  • Community economic development
  • Family studies
  • Various social services
Water resource planning and management

Core knowledge areas:

  • Soil physics
  • Hydrology
  • Pedology

Activities:

  • Evaluate land for irrigation and drainage suitability
  • Design, implement and maintain irrigation systems
  • Manage crop irrigation
  • Allocate and manage water resources
  • Measure and manage soil water

 

Learn More > See Other for areas of practice common to 2 or more sectors