Kerala Agricultural University - KAU

About Kerala Agricultural University - KAU

Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) came into existence on February 24th 1971 by the Act 33 of 1971 of the Kerala State Legislature, entitled 'The Agricultural University Act, 1971'. The University became operational from February 1st 1972 when the then existing two educational and 21 research institutions administered by the Departments of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry of the Government of Kerala, were brought under one umbrella for facilitating the sustainable and accelerated development of agriculture in the State. It is an autonomous public funded institution and the Governor of Kerala is the Chancellor and the Minister for Agriculture is the Pro-Chancellor of the University. The University fulfils its obligations and commitments through a network of institutions spread over 36 campuses through the length and breadth of the state, consisting of ten constituent colleges, six Regional Agricultural Research Stations, 26 Research Stations, three Centres of Advanced Studies, the Central Training Institute, the Communication Centre, the KAU Press, seven Krishi Vigyan Kendras, the Central Library and various other research programmes. The University offers graduate and post-graduate programmes at Masters as well as Doctoral levels, in almost all the disciplines and specialities on various subjects related to agriculture.

Constituent Colleges

• College of Agriculture - Vellayani P.O., Thiruvananthapuram. Ph : 2381002 , 2381915.

• College of Horticulture - KAU P.O., Thrissur. Ph : 2370790, 2370822.

• College of Agriculture - Padannakkad P.O., Kasaragod. Ph : 2280616, 2282699.

• College of Forestry - KAU P.O., Thrissur. Ph: 2370050.

• College of Co-Operation, Banking & Management - KAU. P.O., Thrissur. Ph : 2370367.

• College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences - Mannuthy P.O., Thrissur. Ph : 2370451, 2370344.

• College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences - Pookot, Lakkidi P.O., Wayanad. Ph : 256340.

• College of Fisheries - Panangad - P.O., Ernakulam. Ph : 2700337, 2700598.

• Kelappaji College of Agrl. Engineering & Technology - Tavanur, Malappuram. Ph : 2686009, 2686214.

• College of Dairy Science & Technology - Idukki (Present Address : College of Dairy Science & Technology, Mannuthy P.O., Thrissur- 680651). Ph : 2372861.

Location and Transportation - It is located almost in the middle of the state at Vellanikkara in the Thrissur District on the National Highway (NH47) at about 13 km from the Thrissur Railway Station and 50 km from the International Airport, Kochi, the headquarters of KAU is easily accessible by road, rail and air. Click here for Google Map Location.

Faculty

• Faculty of Agriculture.
• Faculty of Veterinary & Animal Sciences.
• Faculty of Fisheries.
• Faculty of Agricultural Engineering & Technology.

Facilities

Computer Facility - The Central Computer Facility serves the basic requirements of the headquarters in word processing. The Distributed Information System Centre funded by the DBT apart from providing access to biotechnology related information extends mundane service in IT. The University is also included in the ARIS (Agricultural Research Information System) project which has proved the basic hardware for the network linking the headquarters with the constituent colleges.

Central Auditorium - The 800 seated fully air-conditioned Central Auditorium in the Main Campus equipped with one of the finest acoustic systems and an Indoor Stadium at Vellayani campus add to the basic infrastructure for the full development of the potentials of the students and the faculty in the Main Campus.

Journal - Journal of Tropical Agriculture is an international publication of the Kerala Agricultural University, devoted to publication of research findings on all branches of agricultural science. The journal is maintained as an on-line edition. This is available at http://www.jtropag.in

Extension Programmes

These include:

Demand-Oriented Training -  The University extends its technological support to the less privileged sections of the Society and started vocational training programmes for the unemployed youth, rural housewives etc. on a no-profit-no-loss basis. The training is provided through Central Training Institute (CTI) Special programmes in horticulture such as vegetable production technology, cultivation practices of fruits, production technology of medicinal plants and cultivation practices of spices are undertaken through the Krishi Vigyan Kendras at Ambalavayal, Sadanandapuram, Pattambi and Manjeswaram. Animal Production Programmes on broiler farming, backyard poultry, goat farming and clean milk production are implemented through the thre2e KVKs at Ambalavayal, Pattambi and Sadanandapuram.  Rural youth belonging to SC/ST are offered training under the special component plan programme in nursery technique and vegetable production at the KVK, Sadanandapuram and Agricultural Research Station, Mannuthy.

Village Adoption Programme - It is a close liaison between research personnel and farmers, who provide feed back of field problems for carrying out further research and test the suitability and profitability of new technology under field conditions.

Lab to Land Programme - It selects and adopts small and marginal farmers and landless labourers belonging to the weaker sections of the society. The programme is implemented at the three KVKs at Ambalavayal, Pattambi and Sadanandapuram. The enterprises selected under the programme are hybrid rice, coconut based cropping system, vegetable cultivation, backyard poultry, pepper and banana cultivation. Three hundred farmers and agricultural labourers are getting the benefit of the programme.

Training & Extension Centres

1. Communication Centre, Mannuthy, Thrissur.
2. Central Training Institute, Mannuthy, Thrissur.
3. Agricultural Technology Information Centre, Mannuthy, Thrissur.
4. Information and Sales Centre, Mannuthy, Thrissur.
5. Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sadananthapuram, Kollam.
6. Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Pattambi, Palakkad.
7. Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ambalavayal, Wayanad.
8. Krishi Vigyan Kendra, KAU Campus, Thrissur.
9. Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kumarakom, Kottayam.
10. Krishi Vigyan Kendra Kannur (Conducted and hosted first Farmers' Science Congress)The kendra has a subsurface dyke in its farm as part of the rainwater harvesting demonstration unit. The kendra has pioneered a new branch of agricultural extension called Creative Extension.
11. Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Tavanur, Malappuram.

Central Library - The University Central Library functions in the Headquarters. It serves as the main library for the colleges and stations in the main campus. All costly reference books, foreign journals and other documents which are required for more than one station will be acquired and maintained by University Library for common use and to avoid duplication. A Centre for Library and Information Science functions at the unit for providing training programmes and consultancy services on information handling particularly in agriculture and science and technology areas and offers courses on Library and Information Technology and Information handling in agricultural sciences. Textual, graphical and video access terminals have been provided at various points at the Central Library for users. In order to successfully maintain various library and information technology projects, close collaboration and appropriate linkages have been established with many national and international agencies specializing in this specific field like NISSAT under DSIR, Govt. of India, Information and Library Network Programme (INFLIBNET) of University Grants Commission, National Informatics Centre (NIC) under Planning Commission, Informatics Division of UNESCO, Paris and institutes under Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

College Libraries - There are ten college libraries coming under the unit. All of them have required minimum infrastructure like building, equipments and collections of print and non print documents. Library at College of Agriculture Vellayani was automated with a college library LAN and information resources in EM to serve the campus and nearby stations. Equipments for automation had already been acquired for the College of Fisheries, Panangad, College of Agricultural Engineering, Tavanur etc. Library modernisation programs are on the anvil in other colleges. College of Agriculture Library, Vellayani, Trivandrum forms one of the major subsystems of KAULIS. It has a collection of about 25000 books, 6500 back volumes of journals and 1500 PG and Doctoral Dissertations. The complete database of these collections are computerised and a LAN also has been implemented here for online information retrieval. Internet facility is also provided at his library for searching world wide databases on agriculture and allied areas.

Research - The research initiatives undertaken in the University are focused on increasing the productivity of crops, livestock and fish currently grown in the state.

Some of the Facilities:

• Electron Microscopy.
• Radiotracer Laboratory.
• Meat and Carcass Utilisation Plant.
• Regional Research Stations.
• Research Stations.
• Centres of Advanced Studies (Animal Breeding and Genetics, Veterinary Pathology, and Poultry Science).
• Centre in Agricultural Biotechnology and Molecular Biology.
• Instructional Farms.

Research Stations

Northern Zone

• Regional Agricultural Research Station, Pilicode, Kasaragod.
• Pepper Research Station, Panniyur, Kanhirangad, Kannur.

High Range Zone

• Regional Agricultural Research Station, Ambalavayal, Wayanad.
• Cardamom Research Station, Pampadumpara, Idukki.

Central Zone

• Regional Agricultural Research Station, Pattambi, Palakkad.
• Banana Research Station, Kannara, Thrissur.
• Agronomic Research Station, Chalakudy, Thrissur.
• Cashew Research Station, Madakkathara, Thrissur.
• Cashew Research Station, Anakkayam, Malappuram.
• Aromatic & Medicinal Plants Research Station, Odakkali, Ernakulam.
• Pineapple Research Station, Vazhakulam, Muvattupuzha, Ernakulam.
• Agricultural Research Station, Mannuthy, Thrissur.
• Plant Propagation & Nursery Management Unit, KAU Campus, Thrissur.

Special Zone of Problem Areas

• Regional Agricultural Research Station, Kumarakom, Kottayam.
• Rice Research Station, Vyttila, Kochi.
• Rice Research Station, Moncompu, Alappuzha.
• Sugaracane Res.Station, Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta.
• Agricultural Drainage Scheme, Karumady, Alappuzha.

Onattukara Zone

• Regional Agricultural Research Station, Kayamkulam, Alappuzha.

Southern Zone

• Regional Agricultural Research Station, Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram.
• Cropping Systems Research Centre, Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram.
• Coconut Research Station, Balaramapuram, Thiruvananthapuram.
• Farming Systems Research Station, Sadananthapuram, Kottarakkara, Kollam.
• Soil Conservation Research Centre, Konni, Pathanamthitta.

Achievements

• The Kerala Agricultural University won the Performance Award of ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) for the third time in a row. Earlier the University has won this prize during 2007-08 and 2008-09.

• In the year 2001, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research has adjudged the Kerala Agricultural University as the best performing University among the thirty five State Agricultural Universities and deemed Universities in the country.

• The University has released 47 improved varieties in rice; 5 in coconut; 33 in vegetables; 6 in pepper; 12 in cashew; 6 in sesame; 4 in sugarcane; 5 in tuber crops; 4 in cowpea; 7 in cocoa and 14 in other crops.