College of Agriculture

College of Agriculture, AAU, Jorhat

The College of Agriculture (CA), Jorhat, had its origin in the erstwhile Assam Agricultural College. The foundation of the college was laid at Borbheta, 5 km towards the south of Jorhat town, on August 16, 1948, by the then Governor of Assam, Late Akbar Hyderi, to impart education in agriculture and allied branches of learning. The College started its academic programme in an abandoned military camp. Late Rev. B. M. Pugh was appointed as the first Principal of the college. Thirty students were enrolled in the first batch for a four-year degree programme leading to B.Sc. (Agri) degree. Dr. M. C. Das took over as the Principal in 1949 and served the institution for long 17 years until 1966. It was during this period that the institution gained momentum to become a full-fledged Agricultural College. Infrastructures development in the college started during the Second Five- Year Plan with the construction of students’ hostels and residential buildings for staff members, completed in 1954. During the first five years of its existence, the College was affiliated to Gauhati University (GU). With the establishment of Dibrugarh University (DU), this affiliation shifted, until Assam Agricultural University (AAU) was established in 1969.

Genesis

Efforts to institutionalize agricultural education in the state began as early as in 1935 with the establishment of a vocational agriculture training center at Jorhat, which was named as Basic Agricultural School. Simultaneously, there was also a move for the establishment of an Agricultural College in the state, initiated by late L.K. Handique, then Director of Agriculture, Assam. He approached several tea companies of the region for financial assistance, but the onset of the Second World War halted or shattered all such endeavours. There was a sincere and vigorous effort for all round development in the state after attainment of independence by the country. Agricultural sector was a prominent one attracting attention of the government as well as public. As a result, a few prominent citizens of Jorhat town thought of establishing an agricultural college in the state and even conceived the idea of establishment of such a college on private venture in the light of Allahabad Agricultural Institute. However, the Government of Assam decided to establish an agricultural college as a government college affiliated to Gauhati University; and Jorhat was unanimously selected as the suitable site considering the existing infrastructure in the area. The Sugarcane Experimental Station that had been established by the Assam State Department of Agriculture (ASDA) in 1906 at Borbheta, Jorhat served as the nucleus of these infrastructures. Establishing the Assam Agricultural College (AAC) in 1948 could be considered as the initiation of the process of hatching of Assam Agricultural University, because the AAC had built the foundation for establishment of the University, in addition to the pivotal role played by the students of the college during 1966-67 to mobilize a strong public opinion in favour of AAU.

Growth of Institution:

During the first five years of its existence, the college was affiliated to Gauhati University. With the establishment of Dibrugarh University, the affiliation was shifted to it, till the establishment of the Assam Agricultural University (AAU) in 1969. The College initially followed the traditional system of teaching and evaluation under Gauhati and Dibrugarh Universities. However, after establishing AAU, the trimester system of teaching and evaluation modelled after Land Grant Colleges of the U.S.A. was adopted. In 1977, the semester system of teaching and evaluation was introduced, which still continues. The Post-Graduate (PG) degree programme was started first in the Department of Agronomy in 1960 and later extended to the disciplines of Botany & Plant Pathology, Entomology and Agricultural Chemistry, including Soil Science in 1966. Subsequently, Master’s degree programme was introduced in all the major disciplines, and at present, fifteen departments offer PG programme. A unique Department of Tea Husbandry & Technology was instituted in 1968 under the joint sponsorship of the Government of Assam and the Tea Board of India. The Ph.D. Degree programme in the faculty was introduced in eight disciplines from 1986 onward under course credit system. Agricultural Biotechnology, Sericulture and Agricultural Business Management are some of the new additions in the College. The course syllabi of both postgraduate and undergraduate programmes are regularly revised and updated as per report of various Deans’ Committee formed time to time in accordance to ICAR norms. The course contents are prepared on the basis of national requirements in mind integrating regional needs.

Presently, the college has

- 18 departments, 5 instructional cum research farms and a central library

- 15 hostels- 5 for boys and 10 for girls

- 130 faculty members in teaching

- A multipurpose sports complex, swimming pool, gymnasium, auditorium, and a medical unit
- An AKMIT (Agricultural Knowledge Management and Information Technology) Cell to provide the teachers and the students an easy access to information through 24-hr high-speed internet connectivity.

Intake Capacity:

§ Under Graduate Programme of the college:

- B.Sc. (Agri): 182 students per batch

- Integrated B.Tech-M.Tech in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology: 40 students per batch

§ Masters and Ph.D programmes of the College:

Facilities and collaboration:

All the departments have required infrastructure facilities like well-equipped laboratories, spacious classrooms with adequate seating arrangements, audiovisual aids, computer and internet access, magnetic blackboards, necessary chemicals and glassware for conducting the laboratory practical, and adequate seating arrangements for employees and teachers. Undergraduate field practical and postgraduate field research works are conducted in the Instructional cum Research (ICR) farm, experimental garden for plantation crops, tea processing unit, and horticultural orchard. Undergraduate theory classes are centrally conducted in well ventilated, spacious classrooms under one roof of a separate building with state-of-the-art modern teaching aids. Postgraduate classes are held in respective departments. The college ensures sufficient qualified teachers for both the undergraduate and postgraduate classes in majority of the department. Most of the faculties hold degrees from multiple Universities or institutes.

All the UG and PG hostels are equipped with basic amenities, including spacious living rooms, bath room, toilet, dining hall, water and electricity supply, common room, television and games facilities, and internet access. The Directorate of Students Welfare oversees the extra-curricular activities of the students, promoting all round development. Sports facilities include a football and cricket ground, volleyball and Basketball Courts, an indoor stadium with two badminton courts, tennis boards and other indoor games facilities. Additionally, the Gymnasium Hall houses almost all the modern gymnastic equipment for the students, guided by a gymnasium coach. The swimming pool is another beautiful facility added in recent years, with two coaches catering to the needs of the users. The college canteen is spacious, airy, and provides wholesome food. To cater to the needs of the students, there is an “Internet Café” in the library where seven terminals are used by the students.

There has been some active collaboration of the PG students and teachers of the college with other institutions of the state such as Tea Research Association, Jorhat, CSIR-North East Institute of Science & Technology, Jorhat, Central Muga Research Institute, Jorhat and Tea Board of India in formulating research strategies in respect of PG research and various outside-funded research projects of some departments like Tea Husbandry and Technology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Entomology and Plant Pathology. There is a strong linkage between the Agricultural Department of the Government of Assam and the college to disseminate the research findings through extension machinery for the benefit of the farmers. Teachers regularly participate in Farmers Fairs, Farmers’ days, etc. and interact with the Agricultural Officers and farmers on different issues. Recently, the university established a link with Cornell University, USA, for promoting academic and research activities of the university.