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Agropreneur / Crop Farmer

Agriculture

Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, and field crops. Use hand tools, such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, and knives. Duties may include tilling soil and applying fertilizers; transplanting, weeding, thinning, or pruning crops; applying pesticides; or cleaning, grading, sorting, packing, and loading harvested products. May construct trellises, repair fences and farm buildings, or participate in irrigation activities.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

AgricultureBusiness

In Malaysia

O*NET describes hired farmworkers; in Malaysia the youth route is running your own small agro business (fertigation chillies, melons, mushrooms, livestock or fish), backed by KPKM grants, FAMA marketing help and DOA advisers. It is self-employment, so income depends on the harvest and prices, not a salary.

How people get into it here
Train through an SKM in agriculture, a certificate or diploma at an agricultural institute or college, or short courses from DOA and other agencies. Aged 18 to 43, you can apply for KPKM's Young Agropreneur start-up grant (up to RM30,000 in kind for crops, livestock or fisheries), and later a scale-up grant of up to RM50,000.

Sources:kpkm.gov.myfama.gov.my

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Sell and deliver plants and flowers to customers.
  2. 2Record information about crops, such as pesticide use, yields, or costs.
  3. 3Direct and monitor the work of casual and seasonal help during planting and harvesting.
  4. 4Harvest plants, and transplant or pot and label them.
  5. 5Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops.
  6. 6Regulate greenhouse conditions, and indoor and outdoor irrigation systems.
  7. 7Feel plants' leaves and note their coloring to detect the presence of insects or disease.
  8. 8Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment.
  9. 9Provide information and advice to the public regarding the selection, purchase, and care of products.
  10. 10Harvest fruits and vegetables by hand.
  11. 11Set up and operate irrigation equipment.
  12. 12Maintain and repair irrigation and climate control systems.
  13. 13Inform farmers or farm managers of crop progress.
  14. 14Dig, cut, and transplant seedlings, cuttings, trees, and shrubs.
  15. 15Identify plants, pests, and weeds to determine the selection and application of pesticides and fertilizers.
  16. 16Operate tractors, tractor-drawn machinery, and self-propelled machinery to plow, harrow and fertilize soil, or to plant, cultivate, spray and harvest crops.
  17. 17Maintain inventory, ordering materials as required.
  18. 18Record information about plants and plant growth.
  19. 19Dig, rake, and screen soil, filling cold frames and hot beds in preparation for planting.
  20. 20Load agricultural products into trucks, and drive trucks to market or storage facilities.
  21. 21Inspect plants and bud ties to assess quality.
  22. 22Move containerized shrubs, plants, and trees, using wheelbarrows or tractors.
  23. 23Tie and bunch flowers, plants, shrubs, and trees, wrap their roots, and pack them into boxes to fill orders.
  24. 24Clean work areas, and maintain grounds and landscaping.
  25. 25Haul and spread topsoil, fertilizer, peat moss, and other materials to condition soil, using wheelbarrows or carts and shovels.
  26. 26Repair farm buildings, fences, and other structures.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Hoer
  • Baller
  • Budder
  • Culler
  • Digger
  • Farmer
  • Ginner
  • Grower
  • Loader
  • Picker

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. Typical entry

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationLess than high school

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

AgricultureDraws directly on Food Production — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Home Science (SRT)Draws directly on Food Production — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
BiologyDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional ScienceDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Mechanical Engineering StudiesDraws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Food Production57%

    AgricultureHome Science (SRT)

  • Biology57%

    BiologyAdditional Science

  • Mechanical54%

    Mechanical Engineering StudiesPhysicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Administration and Management54%

    BusinessEconomics

  • Chemistry53%

    Chemistry

  • Mathematics52%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicNot at all
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Handling conflict situationsAlmost never
  • Indoors, air-conditionedAlmost never
  • Outdoors, in all weatherEvery day
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

0%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org