HRMT20024 - T1 2018: Annotated Bibliography of HRM in Agriculture

This annotated bibliography examines the impact of Human Resource Management (HRM) on the agriculture sector, drawing upon five peer-reviewed journal articles. It highlights the challenges and opportunities for HRM in this evolving industry, particularly in attracting and retaining talent. The analysis covers key themes such as the need for modern recruitment strategies, the importance of employee training and development to adapt to technological and environmental changes, and the role of HRM in mediating communication and fostering a learning culture. Articles discuss the global context, specific farm environments like WI Farms, and the impact of demographic and technological shifts on agribusiness. The bibliography emphasizes the potential of effective HRM practices to enhance employee performance and organizational sustainability in the agricultural sector.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT –
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Table of Contents
Introduction.......................................................................................................................3
Global agriculture sector..............................................................................................................3
Article 1 – Human Resource Management (HRM) in Agriculture..................................................3
Article 2: Human resource management in agricultural sector.....................................................5
Article 3: A Look at Human Resource Management on WI Farms.................................................6
Article 4: Human Resources Management in Agribusiness: Specifics and Systematization
Possibilities..................................................................................................................................7

Introduction
Global agriculture sector
Agricultural industry is one of the oldest industries in the world and is also considered to be
the back bone of the economy of a number of powerful countries in the world. According to
The World Bank, agriculture is one such industry that can greatly help in reducing the global
poverty and raise income for improved food security for 80% of the world’s poor population.
A survey in 2016 found that out of all the poor working adults in the world, 65% of them
earned a living through agriculture Invalid source specified..
The entire global population is dependent on agriculture in some way or the other. One of the
prime causes for being dependent on agriculture industry is because of the requirement of
food. With the evolution of the global economy, the agriculture industry is also becoming
very competitive. The competition in the industry has involved individuals, such as small
town farmers as well as multinational companies that are now selling products grown in their
own farms. The increasing competition is also affecting the employees working in the
industry and is posing a great challenge to the human resource managers. One of the biggest
challenge to human resource managers in the agricultural sector is attracting and retaining
talented employees in the industry. Therefore, in this report, we will discuss whether human
resource management can have an impact on the performance of organisations operating in
the agricultural industry.
Article 1 – Human Resource Management (HRM) in Agriculture
Hemani, H. (2016, January 1). Human Resource Management (HRM) in Agriculture .
Retrieved April 15, 2018, from www.alrasub.com: http://www.alrasub.com/human-
resource-management-hrm-in-agriculture/
Key words: Human resource management, global economy, agriculture sector, recruiting,
employee training.
This article by Haroon Hemani provides a deep insight into the global agriculture industry
and its present scenario. The article presents some important facts related to the global
agriculture industry i.e. the industry alone accounts for 32% of the global employment, which

is more than enough to prove the importance that the industry has in the global economy.
Wherever there is a talk about employees, the word that first comes to anybody’s mind is
human resource management but in this particular sector, human resource management has
not been used as much as it should have been. According to the writer, human resource
management should be applied more in this particular industry because it is one of the
primitive sector and needs a lot of development in this particular field. The writer also
discusses certain areas where human resource management can play an effective role in the
agriculture sector. These roles are discussed below:
First of all, human resource management should be used to identify potential candidates that
can fit in the industry and can work according to the requirements of companies. If such
candidates are found, they should be considered for best available positions. This would help
the agriculture sector in aligning acquirement with requirement. Secondly, the agriculture
industry needs to strengthen its recruitment and hiring process as it still relies upon traditional
or conventional recruitment methods. The industry needs to evolve and use new recruitment
and selection techniques, such as the use of social media, to find the best people. Thirdly,
human resource managers in agriculture industry can act as mediators and can facilitate
communication in the organisation. In the farm industry, most of the farmers are illiterate and
show a lot of resistance towards change. In such situations, human resource managers can act
as mediators and can make communication more effective. Lastly, for an industry to evolve
and develop, it is crucial that the people working or linked to that particular industry evolve
first. Human resource management can be used to train and develop the employees working
in the agriculture industry, which is an important need of the hour. The employees working in
the industry need to learn about new technologies, farming solutions, flora and fauna
varieties, changing environment trends, etc., which can only be achieved by making them
undergo training and development programs, which is one of the most important core
functions under human resource management.
The article provides one of the best explanations as to why the global agriculture industry
needs human resource management and how it can help the industry in evolving and
adjusting with the changing business environment.

Article 2: Human resource management in agricultural sector
Zachrison, M. (2012, August). Human resource management in agricultural sector .
Retrieved April 15, 2018, from www.researchgate.net:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256395313_Human_resource_management
_in_agricultural_sector
Key words: Human resource management, agricultural field, globalisation, education
The article discusses two important points related to the global agriculture industry. First of
all, the article discusses the need for implementing a globalised human resource management
approach in the sector. Secondly, the article discusses the role of education, training and
development of human resources in the agricultural sector. The article uses literature study to
gather information from past reports and articles.
According to the research, the global environment is changing at a rapid pace, which is
having a great impact on the global agriculture industry. The changing weather, technologies,
varieties of seeds, soil structure and requirements, etc. is demanding a workforce that is
technically more sound and can deal with the changing business environment. The article
says that only those organisations, which are willing to use human resource management
practices in dealing with the environmental changes, will be able to sustain in the market. The
article also talks about the role that education, training and development can play in the
global agriculture industry. According to the article, the development or the evolution of the
agriculture industry is largely dependent on the development of the employees working in it.
Most of the employees in the industry are illiterate and have negligible knowledge about the
changing environment trends, threats to our environment, latest technological solutions,
machineries, etc. Therefore, it becomes crucial to implement a systematic approach towards
training and developing a technically sound workforce in the industry so that the output can
be increased along with a decrease in the harmful impacts that agricultural practices can have
on the environment.
The article provides a deep insight into the scenario that is prevailing in the agriculture sector
at present. It talks about the urgent need of proper management of human resources in the
agriculture sector, which arises because of the changing market trends and the global

environment. The article suggests that the use of human resource practices can provide a
solution to a number of issues prevailing in the global agriculture sector. These findings can
further be used to reinforce the hypothesis.
Article 3: A Look at Human Resource Management on WI Farms
Blazek, J. (2017, June 1). Human Resource Management in Agriculture Helping Farm
Managers and Employees Work Better Together. Retrieved April 15, 2018, from
Univeristy of Wisconsin-Extension:
https://fyi.uwex.edu/ag-human-resources/research-on-human-resource-management-
on-wi-farms/
Key words: Human resource management, WI Farms, farm employee characteristic, wages
and benefits.
The research discusses the workforce conditions in WI Farms, which is a large scale
company operating in the agricultural sector. Around 76,400 people earnt their living on
Wisconsin farms every year and all these people come from varied cultural backgrounds and
have different knowledge and skills. The study throws a light on the importance of human
resource management for managing such a large workforce in the agricultural industry. First
of all, as the employees come from different backgrounds, they themselves want to know the
characteristics on the basis of which they have been chosen. Secondly, the workforce
obviously differs in terms of knowledge and skills. Therefore, it is also important to design
wages and benefits programs for the employees, which can be justified and can be
implemented throughout the organisation. As, most of the employees in agricultural sector
are via work of mouth system, it becomes important on the part of the employer to be fair and
just when it comes to compensation. Further, the article also discusses the use of human
resource management in dealing with a number of issues, such as recruitment and selection,
training and development, etc. that agricultural farms face in their day to day operations.
From the findings of the study, it is evident that the global agricultural industry is also in an
urgent need of proper management of its human resources. Agricultural farms are
experiencing a change in the expectations of their employees while they strive to sustain in
the market by producing greater outputs and minimising the impact that they can have on the

environment. Thus, to achieve better results in agricultural farms, human resource
management is one of the most effective weapons at present. The findings in the study can be
related with the research hypotheses as all the findings point out to the benefits that can be
achieved by ensuring proper management of human resources in the agricultural sector.
Article 4: Human Resources Management in Agribusiness: Specifics
and Systematization Possibilities
Konja, V., & Uzelac, O. (2015, May). Human Resources Management in Agribusiness:
Specifics and Systematization Possibilities.
Key Words: Human resource management, agribusiness, demographic changes,
technological changes.
The article talks about the impact of technological, demographic and environmental changes
that the agribusiness has been experiencing in the past few decades. Out of all the global
industries, agricultural industry has experienced the maximum impact of these changes,
which has also brought about a change in the management of human resources in the
industry. A number of organisations have failed to cope up with the changing market trends
and have lost their position in the industry. The article talks about the importance of
developing human resources in the industry, in order to enable business organisations to cope
up with the changing market trends and ultimately bring about an evolution in the global
agribusiness.
Human resource management can be used in the agriculture industry to distribute knowledge
amongst illiterate employees and also to establish a learning culture in the sector by using
training and development programs. Further, human resource management can also be used
in the agricultural sector to strengthen the recruitment and selection procedures and by giving
more importance to candidate skills and knowledge in the selection process. Such measures
will ensure that the employees working in the agriculture sector become more aware about
their environment and the changing trends in the industry, which would ultimately help them
in adopting better agriculture practices for the betterment of their crop. Therefore,
implementing effective human resource management practices in the agriculture sector can
have a positive impact on the performance of the employees.