INTRODUCTION
In pursuit of providing professional service to the farming community in the 12 northern districts of Karnataka State, India in modernising agriculture, the College of Agriculture was established in 1947 by the erstwhile Bombay State Government at the Agricultural Research Station, Dharwad about 8 km away from the present University campus. With the reorganisation of states of India during 1956, the college came under the administrative control of the Department of Agriculture, Mysore State (later named as Karnataka State). The College was affiliated to Bombay University soon after its formation and then to Karnatak University, Dharwad in 1950. It became the constituent college of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore in 1965 and then came under the purview of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad with effect from 1st October 1986, the day on which a separate University for the northern Karnataka region was formed. The University has multi-fold functions of teaching, research and extension in the field of agricultural and allied sciences.
MANDATE
Making provision for imparting education in different branches of the study, particularly agriculture, horticulture, veterinary and animal sciences, forestry, fisheries, agricultural engineering, home economics and allied sciences
The advancement of learning and research, particularly in agriculture and other allied sciences.
Undertaking the extension of such sciences to the rural people of the state; and
Such other purposes as the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify.
MISSION
The mission of the University is to provide leadership in teaching, research and extension related to agriculture and allied sciences. The University has been making efforts to keep pace with new frontiers of science and contemporary developments to be socially, economically and technically relevant. The University is strongly committed to develop the needed excellent manpower and useful technologies and their dissemination to serve the farming community of the State, in general, and its jurisdiction, in particular.
GOALS
In keeping with the spirit of the mission and mandate of the University, the following goals have been projected for the University.
To make agricultural education responsive to the growing and changing needs of the society, in general, and aspirations of the farming community, in particular.
To establish a dynamic system of agricultural education to train highly skilled and competent manpower to address the challenging tasks in new emerging areas of research, extension and industry.
To develop suitable end use technologies to solve farmers’ problems vis-à-vis agricultural production including animal husbandry and fisheries and foster research aimed at conceptual advances in all disciplines for technology development in the long run.
To establish state-of-the-art infrastructure including well equipped laboratories, extensive farm lands and an operational research management system that will ensure quick, efficient and cost effective implementation of research programmes.
To attract qualified and talented personnel to undertake research in the University.
To ensure that the research findings and innovations, after their proven demonstration, are communicated to the farmers on a logistically feasible scale. This mechanism acts as an interface between farmers and researchers and enables identification problems through a positive feedback.
To disseminate knowledge and technology to farmers on a wider scale by training the grass root workers and officers of the State Departments of Agriculture, Horticulture and Sericulture on recent advances in the respective fields through subject matter specialists.
AWARDS AND RECONGNITIONS
Owing to its outstanding achievements and yeomen services in fields of agricultural education, research and extension, the University has been adjudged as the Best Agricultural University in the country and has been conferred the prestigious “Sardar Patel Outstanding Agricultural Institution Award 2000” by the ICAR, Government of India.
The scientists of the University have received more than 150 national/international awards.
The University has been accredited for 5 years by the ICAR with “A” Grade.
NSS Activities in the University are adjudged as the best in the state as well as country. UASD received the Indira Gandhi NSS Award at National level in the year 2000-01 from amongst 270 universities and the State NSS Best Award for the year 2000-01.