Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (BCKV), also known as Bidhan Chandra Agricultural University, is an agricultural university in West Bengal, India. The university aims to provide higher education in theoretical and technical fields of Agriculture, Horticulture and Agricultural Engineering. It grants Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Bachelor of Technology, Master of Technology and Doctorate degrees and, thus, provides modern and high value education to create scientists with the capability to work at national and international levels.
The chancellor is the Governor of West Bengal. The vice-chancellor as the chief executive of the University is supported by the registrar in administration, comptroller in financial management, deans of academic activities of the faculties, and directors for management of research and extension activities in agriculture, horticulture, and agricultural engineering. The vice-chancellor’s secretariat is staffed with a secretary to the vice-chancellor, one superintendent, two clerical assistants and seven office attendants are a supportive unit in functioning the office
The Faculty of Agriculture consisted of 17 departments, which has recently been reduced to 16 by merging two departments into one, all with specializations in teaching, research and extension for the development of agriculture in this state. One hundred students are admitted each year in the undergraduate courses on the basis of their performance at higher secondary (10+2) level. Apart from the general agricultural subjects, during their final year the students undertake specialized subjects along with a job-oriented course in the 7th semester as a module, and they undergo the training named ‘Rural Agricultural Work Experience’ (RAWE) during the 8th semester
The Faculty of Horticulture was established in 1996. The objective of creation of the faculty was to initiate education and training in horticulture, to conduct need-based research for the development of horticulture in West Bengal, and to disseminate the technology for growing horticultural crops and post harvest management of produce. Initially the faculty functioned with very limited space in the Faculty of Agriculture. Now it is housed in the newly constructed faculty building at Mohanpur. The instructional facilities include one horticultural farm at Mondouri and one nursery at Jagulia. The UG classes are held at Jagulia where a small instructional farm is maintained. The 150-acre farm at Mondouri that is the Horticultural Research Station provides facilities for practical and project works of M.Sc. and Ph.D. students for all the departments under this faculty.
With the advancement of technology related to agricultural inputs coupled with the equipment and energy sources for their application, it has become essential to optimize these to increase production and conserve natural resources. Agricultural engineers today are required to provide technology for increasing crop production and for reducing post harvest losses and value additions through processing of produce. Increasing export opportunity in agricultural and allied industrial sector, besides diversification has put additional demand on agricultural engineering education to meet the growing requirement of food feed and fiber through efficient management of costly inputs. In the matter of this kind of improvement, agricultural engineering plays a very great role in further development of food productivity, agro-based industries, post-harvesting, food processing, soil and water engineering, irrigation and drainage, etc., through software-based latest technologies.
