Becoming agricultural extensionists: the social production of career aspirations among agricultural graduates in Northwest Cambodia

Retaining and attracting youth to agriculture is crucial for food security. Agricultural extension, which diffuses knowledge and technologies to improve production and incomes, can drive sustainable farming in agriculture-dependent economies. In Cambodia and other Southeast Asian nations, a youth bulge and increased access to higher education are producing more agricultural graduates skilled for diverse roles, including extension. However, little is known about the socio-political factors influencing these young graduates’ aspirations. This paper examines the evolving career aspirations of 16 graduates working as early-career extensionists in Northwest Cambodia. Using a life course approach with life mapping and photo elicitation, we find that aspirations to enter the agricultural workforce are shaped by tertiary education networks, family expectations, and gender dynamics. These factors are influenced by Cambodia’s post-conflict context of rebuilding institutions and networks. Aspirations to become extensionists emerged during agriculture-related bachelor’s degrees, where strong faculty connections to extension projects, linked to post-conflict foreign investment and aid, exposed students to positive experiences of extension work. Careers in extensions are seen as aligned with their desire for employment involving new ideas and technologies, offering good income that allows for the fulfilment of family needs, and are becoming more accessible to women. This study provides insights into who the next generation of agricultural extensionists will be, how they come to be, and why accounting for their experience and aspirations matters. These insights help unpack the complex dynamics influencing an emerging cohort of educated elites poised to shape Cambodia’s agricultural future.