Greater commercialization of agricultural systems and increasing trade liberalization dictate the need for better capacity on the part of the agriculture workforce in the 21st century. Global changes in the roles of the public and private sectors and the dramatic advancements in technology have also strongly affected agricultural workforce development needs. These evolving changes have important policy, institutional and programmatic implications. This article therefore places human resource development in the context of current concerns for the development of national knowledge economies and "education for the knowledge economy." First, the territory is defined. Then the part training plays in capacity development within organizations in the agriculture workforce is examined and suggests, in the view of the authors, the need for new and necessary policy, institutional, and program reform. Agricultural education systems, including extension, formal education, in-service training, and mass media/distance education programs are examined for their importance and their need to network to prepare the agricultural workforce to meet new challenges. (Contains 2 figures.)