Department of Agronomy

Introduction:

From the establishment of the Faculty of Agriculture in 1956 until 1979, the Department of Agronomy was known us department of plant sciences, and all its subjects were taught under this department. On the other hand, since agronomy is one of the major parts of agriculture, for this purpose, in 1980, this department, as an independent department, trained and employed sufficient scientific staff, the majority of whom had completed their master's and doctorate studies in prestigious American, European, and Russian universities. It should be remembered that the Department of Agronomy has played a role as one of the active (mother) departments of the Faculty of Agriculture since its establishment. The main and fundamental goal of this department is to provide theoretical and practical training to the young generation in various areas of this field in order to provide scientific services at the level of national and international standards. Graduate students from the centers and province schools of Afghanistan are recruited and taught in this department after passing the national entrance exam and completing the entrance requirements. Bachelor's and Master's students do their experimental and research work on the farm of the Faculty of Agriculture. Also, students refer to libraries, the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock, and other authorities in order to obtain information and knowledge about the methods of collecting materials in order to write research problems, and present seminars on various agricultural topics. It should be remembered that from 1990 to 2012, the responsibilities of the Department of Soil Science and Irrigation were carried out by this department. In 2012, the Department of Biotechnology and Seed Production was activated as an independent department with five scientific staff members from the Department of Agronomy. The Department of Agronomy fulfills its academic duties, which include teaching, scientific research, presenting conferences, writing textbooks, publishing scientific articles, revising and standardizing the curriculum, implementing and following up on quality improvement programs, regulating the academic course of students, cooperating with the administration, and creating and strengthening relationships. Creation and consolidation with national and international institutions, cooperation with various committees of faculties, universities, the Ministry of Higher Education, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock, arranging exams, guiding students in preparing research projects, and cooperation with young professors are all actively and successfully done.

Educational Goals:

• Providing standard and high-quality technical knowledge in different agronomy sectors for students' effective participation in society.

• Offering professional knowledge in relation to the introduction of new varieties, their production, and their development on farms.

• Acquiring professional knowledge and the necessary skills to introduce methods of storing, processing, and adjusting raw materials for industrial factories.

• Using sustainable farming systems to combat hunger and improve food security.

• Successfully carrying out professional duties and responsibilities in governmental and non-governmental departments by using authentic scientific research and specialized knowledge.

• Responsiveness through the provision of educational programs and quality services for the development of Afghanistan's agriculture.

• Introducing modern agricultural technologies to transform traditional agriculture into modern agriculture.

• Training of professional staff in two bachelor's and master's programs and presenting them to society.

Vision:

The Department of Agronomy is determined to be a well-known institution at the national and regional levels by providing teaching, standard research, training and graduating of expert and knowledgeable staff, and other services related to the field of agronomy.

Mission:

The Department of Agronomy is committed to providing standard scientific, research, and practical services in the direction of capacity building, training scientific staff through teaching and research, and providing professional services for the development of an important part of the agriculture sector at the national and regional level.

Main Objectives:

• Training and graduating the skilled professionals in different fields of agronomy.

• Strengthening agricultural institutions based on scientific and professional knowledge and skills.

• Acquiring the necessary professional knowledge and skills to increase the production capacity of cultivated plants and their economic value.

• Planning and carrying out agronomic innovative research projects to improve farm management and increase quality production of field crops.

• Eliminating the lack of food, and enhancing the food security among Afghan society

• Using modern agricultural technologies to transform traditional agriculture into modern sustainable agriculture

• Strengthening sustainable agriculture systems to fight hunger through fair distribution of food among society

Stakeholders:

Currently, there are affiliations at the level of Afghan universities, especially at the level of the faculties of agriculture and also with the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock, but the affiliations that used to exist with foreign countries do not exist at the moment.

Laboratory and Equipment

The Department of Agronomy has an independent laboratory that is relatively equipped with the necessary equipment. The mentioned devices are used to advance the scientific research of students.

 

Academic members of the Agronomy Department:

No.	Name	Surname
1	Wakil Ahmad	Sarhadi
2	Amir Jan	Saidi
3	Mohammad Zarif	Sharifi
4	Khadim Hussain	Hamdam
5	Mohammad Hakim	Osmani
6	Zabehullah	Jalali
7	Shamsruhman	Shams
8	Behishta	Koshani

 

Curriculum (Specialized Subjects) of the Department of Agronomy.

No.	Subject Name	Cod No.	No. of Credits	No.	Subject Name	Cod No.	No. of     Credits
1	Principles of weed control	AgAgron 0532	3	8	Scientific Experimental Design	AgAgron 0638	3
2	Dryland Agriculture	AgAgron 0531	2	9	Pulses crops	AgAgron 0640	3
3	Forage crops	AgAgron 0533	2	10	Industrial crops	AgAgron 0848	3
4	Organic farming	AgAgron 0535	2	11	Oil crops	AgAgron 0849	3
5	Sustainable agriculture	AgAgron 0536	2	12	Research project 1	AgAgron 0746	5
6	Plant physiology	AgAgron 0641	3	13	Research project 2	AgAgron 0850	2
7	Cereal crops-	AgAgron 0743	3