The Coronavirus pandemic may have turned most of us into Netflix-guzzling vampires due to unending lockdowns and masks, but there is no doubt it also brought us something we all needed a break.
For me, the COVID-19 lockdowns and remote schooling slowed everything down. It was a relief I never thought possible, and for the first time in two and a half decades, six schools, two continents and four languages, I finally had time--real time--to reconsider, strategize and plan. Naturally, the first thing I did was try my hand at Tik-Tok videos (It was a terrible failure, and I have since deleted my account and left that app to the Gen-Z gods). Next, I tried learning to cook meals from my home country. In truth, most of the meals turned out mostly okay", but it would have broken my dear mother's heart to learn how terrible my cooking had become.
However, towards the end of last year, with news of exits and fundraising from tech startups, I decided to hunt for gold and learn to code. While my coding career is still very far off, my surge of inspiration is undying, and this is because I understand that in the nearest future agriculture and information technology will soon be dearest cousins.
However, this is the future. Perhaps it is not exactly the way we envisioned it, but it is our future. Now is a time for a mental renaissance of what sustainability and innovation in food, farming and agriculture should be. I believe 2021 and the wave of research and investment in Science and Technology the Coronavirus brought may be a steppingstone into a brighter and more diverse future in Agriculture.
The Pandemic may have accelerated advances in Science and awakened a thirst for Technology, particularly Financial Technology, but I believe 2021 is Agriculture's oyster. From research into sustainable farming practices in developing nations to the Hollywood-like potential of Agri-tech, the post-corona future is sure to be filled with incredible excitement in the field of Agriculture.
Maybe your interest might not be Agri-tech, It is time to dig deep, you are young, you are strong and the internet is your close pal. There is a need to use all of the wealth of information we have access to prepare for the future, to prepare for our future as young professionals in the field of agriculture. Search today, learn a skill and anticipate the glittering future of Agriculture.
Picture credit: Juliana Omolola Gold