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Distribution of crops for 1984 and the average yield of each crop in Costa Rica Research population questionnaires distributed and return rate Respondents' return rate according to their job responsibilities and type of entity they represented Nationality of potential employers of agriculturalists in Costa Rica by 58 ix LIST OF FIGURES Distribution of potential employers of agriculturalists in Costa Rica by gender Distribution of potential employers of agriculturalists in Costa Ricy by selected age groups Highest level of education attained by potential employers of agriculturalists in Costa Rica Number of years respondents had worked for an agricultural entity Job responsibilities held by the potential employers of agriculturalists in Costa Rica Definitions of institutions that are potential employers of agriculturalists in Costa Rica Principal operation of the entities that are potential employers of agriculturalists in Costa Rica Percentage of companies/entities and number of years the entity has been active in agriculture Percentage of organizations/entities by size Respondents' perceptions regarding the importance of completion of an internship in association with academic preparation Proposed model for curriculimi and program review at EARTH College

The purpose of this study was to identify the skills needed by agriculturists in Costa Rica. This descriptive study used a mailed survey to collect data from people in agricultural organizations in Costa Rica who are potential employers of agriculturists. Employers perceived that future agriculturists needed a variety of skills in business, computer, research, interpersonal, communications, dissemination, and technical agriculture areas. The findings should be considered by educational institutions desiring to revise and improve their curricula and/or develop partnerships with agricultural organizations and businesses. Introduction/Framework Agriculture is fundamental to the economy of Costa Rica. During the twentieth century, Costa Rica moved from a subsistence agricultural system to one that included exports. Agriculture in Costa Rica engages 28% of the workforce (South America, Central America and the Caribbean, 1991), and contributes 36.6% to the gross national product of the country (Almanaque Mundial, 1998).