The Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), established in 1962 as the second oldest agricultural university in the country, is going to celebrate its 60th Foundation Day on August 24.
This year, the university has planned to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee year with multifarious activities for the benefit of students, farmers and other stakeholders.
The Diamond Jubilee year will witness a series of invited lectures by scientists/faculties of international repute, Mega Farmers’ Fair, Entrepreneurs Conclave, student interface, creation of infrastructure, etc.
The university is providing quality education on agriculture and allied areas through 10 constituent colleges, a Centre for Post Graduate Studies and 10 Agro-Polytechnics.
The research activities are undertaken by eight Regional Research and Technology Transfer Stations, four Regional Research and Technology Transfer Substations, seven Commodity Research Stations and 52 All India Coordinated Research Projects.
Besides, the university takes up extension activities through 31 Krishi Vigyan Kendras and various extension projects.
During last couple of years, the university has taken up innovative policy initiatives to strengthen academic, research and extension education activities.
Some of the efforts are creation of Technology Management Cell, OUAT Foundation Fund, OUAT CSR policy, Krishi Kalinga Innovation Council, OUAT Kalinga, etc. There was initiation of Foundation Day Lecture, Mega Farmers’ Fair, students’ exposure to international laboratory and many more.
Till date, more than 29,000 students have been graduated from the university. The university has received “University of Year Award” under Agri-Education Awards- 2021 instituted by Agriculture Today group of New Delhi. Similarly, the University has enhanced its rank to 20th position among all the agricultural universities of the country as per ICAR Ranking 2020.
A student of College of Agriculture, Chiplima secured first position in vegetable science in Junior Research Fellowship Examination 2018-19 conducted by ICAR, New Delhi. A student of College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Bhubaneswar secured first position in Senior Research Fellowship Examination 2020.
The students have bagged Champion Trophy in the All India Inter Agricultural Universities Youth Festival (AGRIUNIFEST) held at IGKV, Raipur during February 8-12, 2020.
Twenty four under graduate students have been sent for International exposure to University of Nebraska, USA; Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand and International Rice Research Institute, Philippines.
The OUAT Kalinga, the unique brand of the University was launched with an objective to provide seeds, quality planting materials, farm implements, animal breeds, mushroom spawn, fish seed and other technological products to the farmers at right time and at an affordable price.
It is necessary for upscaling, out-scaling and commercialization of knowledge and technologies generated from the university. With this objective, the ‘Technology Management Cell’ has been established to oversee management of various technologies available with the university by sharing with different stakeholders.
The university has registered ‘Krishi Kalinga Innovation Council’ as a not-for-profit Section-8 Company to render four major services like Agri-Technologies Commercialization (ATC), Agri Business Incubation (ABI), Agri-Consultancy Services (ACS) and Services on Agricultural Skill (SAS).
It will help to incubate and nurture technology and knowledge-based ventures to start-ups by providing space, infrastructure, access to business support services, guidance on marketing and advisories on IPR.
During 2020-21, 341 final year students from College of Agriculture, Bhubaneswar, Chiplima and Bhawanipatna and College of Horticulture, Chiplima have worked in different blocks of the State as Agriculture Development Associates (Krushi Unnat Sahayogi) in association with officials of State Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment.
The Biotech–KISAN is functioning in the districts of Kalahandi, Balangir, Kandhamal, Gajapati and Dhenkanal with the objectives to disseminate location specific, clientele specific and problem solving technological solutions to the small and marginal farmers including farm women; establish networking of farmer-scientist through physical and digital space; develop band of farmer-scientists as connoisseur of agri-tech agents to provide last mile service and ensure livelihood and income security by adoption of integrated remunerative agri-enterprises.