Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University


Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University is one of India's premier agricultural colleges located in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh state. It is one of the three institutes of the Banaras Hindu University.

History

IAS was established in 1931 on the recommendation of the British Raj's Royal Commission on Agriculture as the Institute of Agricultural Research of the BHU. It was one of two oldest agricultural science institutes in the Indian subcontinent, and the first institute to begin Master's and Doctoral programs in the field. Undergraduate programs were introduced in 1945, and the institute was renamed as the College of Agriculture. It was renamed as the Faculty of Agriculture in 1968.
In 1969, the college was re-organized into 6 departments, Plant Physiology, Agronomy, Genetics & Plant Breeding, Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry, Plant Pathology and Agricultural Economics. The areas of study and research were gradually expanded to include Horticulture, Entomology & Agricultural Zoology, Animal Husbandry & Dairy Farming, Farm Engineering, etc.
In 1980, with expanded focus and investment in agricultural education & research from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, the college was re-organized as an independent Institute of Agricultural Sciences affiliated with the BHU.

Infrastructure

IAS is located on the main campus of BHU on the southern outskirts of Varanasi. It has a farm on the main campus. The institute manages a dairy for research and study purposes with capacity of about 400 animals. IAS also has a horticultural unit for development, study and research of flowering plants and a specialized unit for medicinal plants.
IAS also manages the Krishi Vigyan Kendra on the south campus of BHU in Barkachha, Mirzapur district about southwest of Varanasi. KVK manages over of farms for research and community education purposes.
In addition to the main Sayaji Rao Gaekwad Library of BHU, IAS students and staff also have access to the Institute Library that has specialized collections of journals, periodicals and volumes related to agricultural sciences.