Careers
Horticulture
Great and varied
prospects
In career all about
growing
S
ABI magazine recently found out more about the exciting career of horticulture
from SABI’s technical assistant Annemarie van der Westhuizen, who gives us some
great insights into the job of working with plants.
SABI: What attracted you to a
career in horticulture?
Annemarie: I was attracted by the fact
that one works with plants. Growing
and propagation of plants has always
been a passion for me. There are a
variety of careers that you can follow
with a horticultural qualification. You
can do research on subjects - from
fruit trees to flowers - or work for
seed producing companies or do
work related to production. Packing,
marketing and shipping is another area. Part of horticulture is
the propagation of plants, which can be for the ornamental plant
industry or the fruit production industry, including forestry.
SABI: What are the characteristics one needs?
Annemarie: There aren’t really specific characteristics that are
needed, as the field is so vast. Depending on what your daily
tasks are, you might need to work with production or harvesting
teams or you can even work in tissue culture laboratories, where
you don’t have to work with people.
SABI: Tells us a bit about your career?
Annemarie: My career started at the Department of Agriculture
(now the ARC) where I worked at one of the research institutes in
flower production. Then I worked in Datametrics where I helped
the agricultural researchers of the Department with their statistics.
After doing a Master’s degree in post-harvest physiology of citrus
fruit, I did a few courses at the University of Pretoria on irrigation
and also worked on a big irrigation project where we used mine
water to irrigate potatoes, maize and wheat through centre pivots.
After that, I worked in tissue culture, first in the ornamental plant
industry and then in forestry.
SABI: Is it a good career for a woman?
Annemarie: The big factor in what kind of work you would do
in horticulture determines where you live. Unfortunately the
production of certain types of plants only happens in certain
areas, and if you cannot move to those areas, you will have to
work in something that is in your area. There are many women in
horticulture, and it is definitely not a man’s world.
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SABI | DECEMBER 2015/JANUARY 2016
SABI: What are the most rewarding aspects?
Annemarie: You can see the results of your work quite soon as
plants react to whatever you do to them. You don’t have to wait
forever for results.
SABI: What are the opportunities in horticulture today?
Annemarie: The place that you choose to study will probably have
the biggest impact on exactly what you will do after studying as
different universities or technical universities specialise in different
areas/plants. There are lots of opportunities in the greenhouse
industry, the fruit production industry and the seed producing
companies. You can even start your own nursery if you have the
financial backing.
SABI: How do horticulture and irrigation work together?
Tell us about your career now.
Annemarie: Irrigation is a big part of horticulture as you need
to supply water to the plants via an irrigation system for best
growth and yields. Unfortunately, training in irrigation isn’t a
big part of most of the study material for horticulturists, and it
is something extra that you have to learn or learn about at your
workplace. Currently I help with the irrigation courses that SABI
presents, mainly with the scheduling part of the courses. I am also
partly responsible for the development and presentation of the
landscaping irrigation courses starting in 2016.
SABI: Tips for aspirant horticulturalists?
Annemarie: It would help to know what type of horticulture you
are interested in - before you start your studies, because then
you can choose the place that you want to study at accordingly.
It might be more difficult to get a job if you do a general course.
But if you start at the lower levels, you can grow in a company
as you learn. It is very important to try find holiday jobs at local
nurseries or other horticultural companies while you study. Don’t
be scared to start small. Everyone who is successful in horticulture
had to work very hard. Don’t be scared to get your hands dirty!
SABI: What are the study options?
Annemarie: The University of Pretoria, the University of
Stellenbosch, the Free State University or most of the technical
universities like TUT, CPUT, DUT or even UNISA. The best would
be to go to the websites or open days of the universities to explore