Where to get an education in agriculture in Uzbekistan?

06.08.2022 00:00

   August is a palla where young people look forward to the beginning of their studies soon and prepare for it. What is happening in the field of agricultural education? In which universities can you study in this direction? What is the number of students studying? What is the level of development of the teaching staff in the agrarian sector? Read about this in our material.

Universities, directions, teaching staff

The level of education in the field of Agriculture is growing every year, and this is facilitated by higher educational institutions operating in Uzbekistan, including:

- Tashkent State Agrarian University, as well as its branch in Samarkand (the university is included in the international rating of IMPACT RANKINGS The Times Higher Education among 1000 prestigious higher education institutions in the world);

- Andijan Institute of Agriculture and Agrotechnology;

- Karakalpakstan Institute of Agriculture and Agrotechnology;

- Termez Institute of agrotechnologies and innovative development.

 There are a total of 22 faculties and 84 departments. They also have 3 academic lyceums, 18 agricultural technology colleges, 3 training camps and 6 centers;

The number of undergraduate education areas is 38, master's areas – 39.
The total number of students is 23,443 (19,660 in the 2020th academic year, an increase of 116.7 percent), in the master's direction-more than 1,586 (in the 2020th academic year – 1,055). Within the framework of joint educational programs – 464 students are enrolled, the number of foreign students is 24.

Professors and teachers of educational institutions are also increasing. The number of professors and teachers operating today is 1,208 (for example, in the 2020th academic year there were 1,166), in particular, 119 are doctors of Sciences, professors, 508 are candidates of Sciences, Associate Professors. A total of 241 doctoral students in higher educational institutions conduct scientific research in all specialties, of which 14 are doctoral students and 261 are independent researchers.

New areas of agricultural education

   In the development of agricultural education in universities, constant work is underway to study foreign experience, on the basis of which the following six new areas of undergraduate education have been opened: agrotourism, Cooperative Management in agriculture, digital technologies in agriculture, the use of soil bonitization and land resources, the cultivation, storage and processing of organic agricultural products, agricultural law, viticulture and winemaking.

Also, to obtain a master's degree, a system was created in 11 areas, including: agribusiness and investment activities, accounting and economic analysis in agro-industry, environmental safety in agriculture, standardization and certification of agricultural products, agricultural economics, organic farming and food security, monitoring and forecasting in Plant Protection, subtropical and citrus crops, agricultural biotechnology, selection and seed production of horticultural crops, cluster management, agrologist.

It should be noted that within the framework of the State Scientific and technical programs in the 2021 academic year, 11.1 billion soums were allocated, a total of 25 projects were implemented on topical issues of agriculture, including 1 fundamental, 20 practical and 3 innovative, as well as 5 startup projects.

International cooperation

   Cooperation with foreign universities is one of the main directions of higher education institutions in the field of Agriculture. To date, on the basis of cooperation agreements, joint educational programs are being implemented with a total of seven higher educational institutions of the United States, Russia, Poland, Lithuania and Belarus in 6 areas of The Bachelor's degree and two areas of the master's degree, in which 464 students are currently enrolled.
In the 2021 academic year, foreign grant projects worth $ 23 million were implemented by universities. Also, 10 Afghan girls are studying at the University in 2020-2023 on the basis of 3 projects of the European Union in the direction of “Agronomy” of Tashkent State Agrarian University. In addition, in cooperation with the Chinese company Shuntong and ATB mortgage, a fishery scientific center based on modern techniques and technologies for fish farming for 300 thousand dollars was created.

Plans for further development

•    Among educational institutions, the activity of the scientific laboratory “Ecophysiological research” will be established, for which 2.6 million euros will be allocated from the funds of the World Bank;
  The Institute of Agriculture and Agrotechnology of Karakalpakstan, in cooperation with the German International Cooperation Organization, will establish the Center and laboratory “Geoachborot systems”, as well as the educational and scientific center “Agrotechnology of selection, seed and cultivation of oil crops”. In cooperation with the National Agricultural University of Vietnam, a joint faculty is established in the field of rice cultivation;
  On the basis of agroclasters, cooperatives and research institutions in the field of Agriculture, branches of departments are established.
  Urgench, Gizirik, Gijduvan and Kokand Agrotechnology technical schools are modernized and training programs are developed taking into account foreign requirements.
  From the 2022/2023 academic year, a joint educational program, pedagogical practice and exchange of experience with Turkish colleges will be established (Tica and TÜBITAK project);
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As you know, in the coming days, the International Agricultural University will open its doors in Uzbekistan. In the 2022/2023 academic year, the Ministry of Agriculture allocated 150 grants to 1st year students and 50 grants for 2nd year students to study at this university. In the first year of study, the university receives 200 students in 7 areas. 8 foreign professors were invited to organize the educational process.

The potential of agricultural education is great.