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University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru

Overview

The University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru (UAS Bengaluru, also abbreviated as UAS-B) is a state public university in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, dedicated to higher education and research in agriculture and allied sciences. Headquartered at the Gandhi Krishi Vigyana Kendra (GKVK) campus in north Bengaluru, it serves as one of Karnataka's principal institutions for agricultural education, research, and extension.

Key facts

Type State public university
Discipline Agricultural sciences and allied fields
Headquarters GKVK Campus, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Country India
Region served Southern Karnataka (mandate region)

Background

The university was established to consolidate agricultural education, research, and extension services in Karnataka under the land-grant model adopted in India in the 1960s, modelled in part on the system of state agricultural universities recommended by national education and agriculture committees. Its functions cover undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, doctoral research, varietal development of crops, soil and water management, agricultural engineering, dairying, horticulture, forestry, sericulture, agribusiness, and outreach to farmers through Krishi Vigyana Kendras (KVKs).

Campus

The main campus, the Gandhi Krishi Vigyana Kendra (GKVK), is located in the Yelahanka area of north Bengaluru. The campus houses teaching colleges, research institutes, experimental fields, libraries, and student hostels, and is one of the larger green campuses within the Bengaluru metropolitan area. The university also operates regional research stations and KVKs across districts within its mandate region.

Academics

UAS Bengaluru offers programmes leading to Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees. Major academic units typically include constituent colleges and faculties in:

  • Agriculture
  • Horticulture
  • Forestry
  • Agricultural Engineering and Technology
  • Sericulture
  • Basic Sciences and Humanities
  • Agribusiness Management / Agricultural Marketing and Cooperation

Admissions to undergraduate programmes are made through the Karnataka state common entrance process for agricultural courses, while postgraduate and doctoral admissions are conducted through university and national-level examinations including those of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Research and extension

The university conducts research on field crops such as ragi (finger millet), rice, pulses, oilseeds, and millets that are central to the dryland agriculture of southern Karnataka, alongside work on horticultural crops, biotechnology, plant protection, soil science, and farm mechanisation. Extension activities are delivered through KVKs, demonstration farms, training programmes for farmers, and publication of advisory material in Kannada and English.

Reorganisation in Karnataka

UAS Bengaluru is one of several agricultural and allied universities operating in Karnataka. Over time, the state has carved out separate universities to serve specific regions and disciplines, including the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, the University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, the University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot, and the Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, Bidar. After these reorganisations, UAS Bengaluru continues to serve the southern districts of Karnataka.

Significance

As a state agricultural university, UAS Bengaluru contributes to crop improvement, technology transfer, and human resource development for Karnataka's agricultural sector. Its graduates work in state agriculture and horticulture departments, ICAR institutes, agribusiness firms, banks, and rural development organisations, and the university's research stations have contributed released varieties and agronomic practices used by farmers in the region.

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