The role of human resources in agribusiness expansion is focused on recruiting and managing a staff composed of both highly specialized professionals, semi-skilled laborers and unskilled labors. Agribusiness includes technical and labor-intensive activities that are required to optimize production from the inputs that are invested in crop production and animal husbandry. Agribusiness expansion, therefore, requires HR departments to conduct proper planning of workforce requirements in all sectors of crop and livestock production.
Forecasting Human Resources Needs of the Agribusiness
The HR office works closely with the operations management team to determine the adequate number of specialized workforce and farm support laborers that will be required to handle the increased volumes of farm activities and produce marketing. To this end, HR plays the role of ensuring that the personnel requirements for supporting the different technical agricultural processes and marketing activities of the agribusiness are adjusted to match the additional activities that come with expansion. HR either multi-tasks the workforce or recruits specialized employees to ensure that the skills, farm machinery and labor-intense activities are supplied with adequate number of personnel.
Retaining and Recruiting Personnel
HR collaborates with the heads of sections or departments to maintain and recruit personnel but also to acquire the desired skill sets for an agribusiness workforce. HR must collaborate with the department heads because of the varied nature of the business and the skills required of the workforce. Managers of areas such as horticulture, livestock breeding, milk production, milk processing and marketing are in the best position to determine the minimum requirements and suitable remuneration packages for the specialized agricultural workers of their respective departments.
Implementing Policies
HR also plays the role of ensuring that the expansion of the agribusiness is done within the established policies for compensating, promoting and motivating employees in different farm departments and production sections. HR ensures that the job descriptions and responsibilities of each employee are aligned to the overall production and performance targets of the business. HR collaborates with top management to ensure that employees participate fully and benefit in the growth activities, such as research and development of animal breeds and crop species.
Managing Specialized Agribusiness Knowledge and Skills
Managing knowledge involves facilitating employees to enhance their agricultural skills and work capabilities through employee mentoring programs, research and development in new animal breeds and crop species and education advancement opportunities in agricultural fields of specialization such as agricultural engineering. The dynamic nature of agribusiness requires a personnel team capable of adjusting and living up to expectations of the ever-changing business environment. HR, therefore, spearheads the efforts of supporting and keeping track of the knowledge management initiatives to ensure that personnel are continuously exposed to learning opportunities on work processes and agricultural technological developments.
