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Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir

The Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-Kashmir) is a state public university located in Srinagar, in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is dedicated to higher education, research, and extension in agriculture and allied sciences, and serves as one of the principal agricultural universities of the Kashmir Valley.

Key Facts

Type State public university
Specialisation Agricultural sciences and technology
Location Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Named after Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah ("Sher-e-Kashmir")
Sister institution SKUAST-Jammu

Background

The university takes its name "Sher-e-Kashmir" (Lion of Kashmir), the popular epithet of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. It was established to address the agricultural research, education, and extension needs of the Kashmir region, which has distinct agro-climatic conditions ranging from temperate valley agriculture to high-altitude horticulture, sericulture, sheep husbandry, and cold-water fisheries.

SKUAST originally functioned as a single institution covering both Jammu and Kashmir divisions. It was later bifurcated into two separate universities — SKUAST-Kashmir, headquartered in Srinagar, and SKUAST-Jammu — to allow each to focus on the specific agro-ecological requirements of its region.

Academic structure

The university is organised into a number of constituent faculties offering undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes. The principal faculties typically include:

  • Faculty of Agriculture
  • Faculty of Horticulture
  • Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry
  • Faculty of Forestry
  • Faculty of Fisheries
  • Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology

The university also operates Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) across districts of the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh region for technology transfer to farmers, and runs research stations focusing on crops, livestock, and natural resources specific to the region.

Research and extension

SKUAST-Kashmir conducts research programmes on temperate fruit crops such as apple, walnut, almond, cherry, and pear; saffron cultivation in Pampore; rice and maize improvement; sheep and goat breeding; cold-water aquaculture including trout; and sericulture. The university coordinates with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for funded projects and All India Coordinated Research Projects.

Governance

As a state public university, SKUAST-Kashmir is governed under an enabling Act of the Jammu and Kashmir legislature. The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir functions as the Chancellor, while academic and administrative affairs are led by a Vice-Chancellor supported by a Board of Management and an Academic Council.

Significance

The university plays a central role in agricultural human-resource development in the Kashmir Valley and contributes to the modernisation of horticulture, animal husbandry, and farm mechanisation in the region. Its research on saffron, apple varieties, and high-altitude livestock has direct economic relevance to rural livelihoods in Jammu and Kashmir.

References