Changing Structure of Farm Management Education in Hungary

This paper outlines the new human resource requirements in agricultural sector as well as transitional changes and adjustments in agricultural higher education and farm management training in Hungary facing EU accession. During ongoing transition the ownership, production and organisation structure of Hungarian agriculture has been fundamentally changed. Most of large-scale (state owned or co-operative ) farms has been privatised and decentralised and parallely private commercial farming expanded. Accordingly, under an increasing market orientation the requirements against the knowledge, skills, tools and attitudes of farm managers are also altering and extending. In the new farm business environment there is less demand for agricultural engineers with theoretical and specialised knowledge. Considering the new professional profile graduate students should be fully aware of basic economic and marketing principles of farming and preparedfor performing several practical tasks in the daily operation of a farm business. Besides strengthening the curriculum with new management oriented subjects it is necessary to introduce new training methods such as demonstration of case studies and pilot models, as well as training of problem oriented thinking, system approach, ability of working in teams and using different management tools as the advanced information and communication technology (1CT). By presenting the example of Kaposvar Faculty of Pannon Agricultural University this paper demonstrates how a regional agricultural educational and extension center in south-west of Hungary has responded to the challenge of transition and found reasonable ways and solutions for improving training ofpotential farm managers.