Our Green Planet: Roots for the future, skills for today is a planned exhibit at New Scientist Live on 10-12 October 2026, at ExCel, London. The event organisers expect 26,000 visitors, including hundreds of schools, in 2026 and speakers include Alice Roberts, Helen Sharman and Chris and Xand van Tulleken.
HortWeek's Christina Walker gave data about the skills crisis in horticulture to organisations including Young People in Horticulture (YPHA), Groundsfest, Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), Kew, CIOH, WSGA, Fargro, BALI, Colegrave Seabrook Foundation, Green Solutions, YMCA, Outdoor Living Gardens, Architectural Plants, EHG, Michael Perry and Lee Connelly. A Future of Food and Agriculture exhibit is an annual Farmer's Weekly feature at the event.
Ideas floated included interactive displays of a glasshouse replica showing sensor technology, a Metzet rollercoaster, urban setting, seed sowing, pollination, fungi, weird veg, grafting, carnivorous plants, plant breeding, paving demos, and salaries showing the industry is environmental and AI futureproof.
Delegate Boyd Douglas-Davies of the Environmental Horticulture Group said the claims made at a horticulture industry event this month—characterising horticulture as a low-paid field where 'you will not make any money'—were both inaccurate and counterproductive.
HortWeek's annual Careers in Horticulture salary deep dive insight shows potential wages for top earners and will be published again in April as a searchable online tool. The insight has run since 2021 and has led to other industry titles running similar data.
Walker said the average age of skilled workers (excluding seasonal workers and volunteers) is approximately 40.1 years, only 3% of the industry are supervisors, 6% of vacancies reported over a three-year period remained open, concentrated in highly skilled occupations like skilled trades.
Businesses do not expect automation to decrease skills shortages. Studies from 2019 & 2024 confirm urgent need for skilled workers. She said recruitment reality is 75% of businesses report an insufficient number of applicants for open roles and 75% of employers report that applicants lack the necessary technical skills. There is also a lack of diversity.
Industry skills needs include in plant health, irrigation, water management, integrated management & agronomy and digital skills essential.
contact: chris1coombes@googlemail.com
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