Dean’s Message

Welcome to the Premiere Faculty of Agriculture in Sri Lanka.

I would like to warmly welcome you to the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, the leader for the higher education of Agriculture in Sri Lanka. Established in 1948, we are the premier Faculty of Agriculture in the country that offers you a wealth of academic inheritance accrued for seventy years. Experience and the calibre of the academic staff of the Faculty are unparalleled. The Faculty has 137 permanent academic staff members comprising nearly 75% of which with PhD degrees obtained from the best universities worldwide. Approximately 50% of our academic staff are Professors, which is again a unique situation in the country.

The Faculty has introduced many state-sector educational innovations to the nation. Intakes of special provision students (since 1968), Residential Field Training programmes (since 1968), Independent Outreach Centres (since 1997), Course Unit-Based Semester System (sine 1998), Needy Student Scholarship Fund to financially support fellow needy students (since 1990), Establishment of Teaching Methods Unit (since 1993), Teacher Evaluation by Students (sine 2002), Introduction of the life-skills development programme for first-year students (since 2006), Outcome-based curriculum (since 2006) and proactive advertising and promotional campaigns to attract best performing A/L students (sine 2006) are lucid examples of such innovations.

Being the oldest, largest and the most dynamic Faculty of Agriculture in the country, it presently offers three-degree programmes of 4-year duration: B.Sc. Agricultural Technology & Management (39B), B.Sc. Food Science & Technology (35B) and B.Sc. Animal Science & Fisheries (89B). The total annual student intake to the Faculty through the UGC as of the 2020/2021 academic year is 345. In addition, the Faculty also accommodates foreign and special provision students. The medium of instruction of all the academic programmes offered by the Faculty is English. Proving the quality and the standard that the Faculty maintains, all three-degree programmes offered by the Faculty earned A grades from the Programme Review conducted by the UGC in 2019/2020.

Today the Faculty of Agriculture comprises eight academic departments, namely, Agricultural Biology, Agricultural Economics and Business Management, Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural Extension, Animal Science, Crop Science, Food Science and Technology and Soil Science. The multitude of disciplines taught by the Faculty allows its students to diversify their higher education and career paths in multiple directions, thus opening up a world of opportunities to them. Our students obtain balanced training in communication skills, computer & IT skills and life skills development (critical thinking, problem-solving, leadership and teamwork skills, and ethnic harmony) to meet the needs of modern society. In addition, the Faculty provides several opportunities for its best-performing students to obtain a part of their education in some of the leading foreign universities. These are the very reasons why our graduates are 100% employable within a short period after graduation.

To support its academic programs and outreach activities, the Faculty has established Agriculture Education Unit, Agriculture Biotechnology Centre, Agribusiness Centre and the Teaching Methods Unit. In addition, it provides sound practical training in Agriculture through its Livestock Farm at Mawela, Udaperadeniya, Meewathura Farm at Peradeniya, Experimental Station at Dodangolla and Sub-campus at Mahailluppallama. The latter offers practical training for students who follow the Agricultural Technology and Management Degree during one semester, including community-based learning.

Our students have immense opportunities to get involved in social and welfare activities through various student societies and events conducted by the Faculty. To assist our students during their studies at the Faculty, the Faculty also offers formal advisory and counselling programs, financial assistance for needy students and many other benefits. Furthermore, the presence of eight other faculties (Arts, Allied Health Sciences, Dental, Engineering, Management, Medicine, Science, Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science) that closely interact with each other many activities has further enhanced the intellectual environment of the university. This exposure has enabled the University of Peradeniya students to build up their social network, an essential social capital for pursuing multiple opportunities in today's resource-scarce and constrained environment.

As a leading faculty of the most picturesque university in the country, we live as one family, thus creating a better environment for teaching and learning. Moreover, our graduates are resourceful, opportunity-seeking, versatile, and adaptable due to their unique training. As a result, they always dominate the job market and do not find difficulty finding employment both locally and internationally, almost in all the sectors of society.

Together with the Faculty staff, I wish to extend an invitation to those interested in finding information about the Faculty to explore our website. I am happy to answer any queries you may have.