Indian students from farming heartlands and urban centres alike are increasingly heading abroad to study agriculture and allied fields—a shift sparked by the global demand for sustainable farming practices, technological innovation in food production and immigration pathways this route offers. Interest in these programmes- —ranging from agronomy and precision agriculture to agritech and food sciences—has surged over the past few years, driven by the EU’s ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy and Canada’s Agri-Food Pilot. “Our data shows a 30% YoY increase in enquiries for agriculture and allied fields since 2020. In 2023, we saw a 75% YoY increase in enquiries about agricultural programmes,” said Nikhil Jain, co-founder of ForeignAdmits.
“It’s a perfect storm of opportunities. These students are looking at agriculture through a new lens that combines technology, sustainability and global food security. The EU’s Farm to Fork strategy and similar initiatives worldwide have created a massive demand for agricultural experts.
Moreover, countries like Canada and Germany are offering faster permanent residency pathways for individuals with expertise in modern agricultural practices,” he added. The student base pursuing these courses abroad has expanded beyond those with traditional agricultural backgrounds.
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Citing examples of cities such as Darjeeling, Guntur, Meerut, Nagpur and Nashik, Akshay Chaturvedi, founder of Leverage.biz, said, “The students showing interest in agriculture and allied fields on the platform hail from diverse backgrounds, but primarily from tier-2/3 cities.
Adarsh Khandelwal, co-founder of Collegify, said it’s not just students from India’s agricultural regions like Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra but also engineering graduates that are interested. Covid-19, which exposed vulnerabilities in global food supply chains, accelerated the shift. “Students began to recognise that agriculture isn’t just about farming but is central to addressing climate and food security challenges,” said Khandelwal. From recent graduates to young professionals—either in family farming or small agri-tech ventures—are looking to build expertise they can practically apply. “Students are drawn to various agri-related fields, like agronomy, agricultural engineering, sustainable farming, and food sciences. And there’s growing excitement around cutting-edge areas like precision agriculture, plant genetics and soil science,” Khandelwal said. Piyush Kumar, regional director for South Asia at IDP Education, also pointed to growing demand from diverse regions across India.
“In the US, apart from Punjab, students from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, MP, Maharashtra and Haryana are looking for master’s programmes in agriculture,” he said. Canada, New Zealand and Australia too are popular options, with programmes in agribusiness, food safety and environmental sustainability attracting students.
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