How do we make horticulture attractive to youg people as a career? Wow - we have a job on our hands! writes Ian Boardman
It takes me back to 1977 at the University of Bath where I did my Hort degree. The late (and great) Prof Leonard Broadbent told all us freshers that year that horticulture had an image problem and a recruitment problem. Sadly, little has changed in almost 40 years. He also said we would never make much money in this industry – I’m not sure that has changed either!
What is horticuture? You can try the Wikipedia definition (www.wikipedia.org) but that might turn me right off if I were ‘young’. Our industry needs something more exciting.
I think it needs something alomng these lines:
What is crucial to our well being?
What has been at the core of humanity and our very survival - and we've been at it for almost 9,000 years?
What is even more intensive than agriculture?
Answer - Hortus Cultura (i.e. the Latin root of the name)
Put it another way - let's get intimate, intense, passionate. Let's get close to plants!
I’m very much plucking bits from Wikipedia myself now, but we do need to sex it up a bit. We can can then go on to explain all the aspects of Hortus Cultura and its myriad career opportunities.
I would love to know what others think...
Ian Boardman BSc MBA MiHort is director of IBBIS (UK) Limited, a business consultancy. He is also the Garden Centre Association’s chief standards inspector. You can contact him by email: i.boardman@btinternet.com
