Agricultural education is changing and will continue to do so in response to changes in the definition of the agricultural sector, communication technology and funding imperatives. Bachelor’s graduates will probably focus on career opportunities in natural resource management and vocationally oriented agricultural production, processing, and marketing fields. The small proportion of agricultural graduates with the aptitude and motivation to work effectively in research forms an important part of the post-graduate agricultural education pool and requires specific orientation to the changes occurring in agricultural research systems. Mechanisms used in some developed countries may be of benefit and provide a basis for strengthening overall human resource development and management in agricultural research systems, both in terms of the management of existing researchers, and the continuous training of new researchers. The approaches described in the paper have relevance to both more and less developed countries, particularly in agricultural knowledge systems that separate extension and applied research from education.