Anand Agricultural University (AAU) is a state public university located in Anand, Gujarat, India. It is one of four agricultural universities in Gujarat and offers teaching, research, and extension education in the fields of agriculture, dairy science, veterinary science, agricultural engineering, food processing, and allied disciplines.
| Name | Anand Agricultural University |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | AAU |
| Type | State public university |
| Established | 2004 |
| Location | Anand, Gujarat, India |
| Focus | Agriculture, veterinary, dairy, and allied sciences |
| Accreditation | Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) |
The town of Anand has a long association with agricultural and dairy education in India, in part due to its proximity to the headquarters of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Amul) and the dairy cooperative movement led by Verghese Kurien. Institutions in Anand contributed to the foundations of the Indian dairy industry and field-level agricultural training well before the establishment of AAU as a separate university.
Anand Agricultural University traces its institutional roots to colleges that earlier formed part of Gujarat Agricultural University (GAU), which was set up in 1972 with campuses across the state. Several of the constituent colleges at Anand had origins going back much earlier, including agricultural and veterinary colleges established in the mid-twentieth century.
AAU was created in 2004 when the Government of Gujarat reorganised Gujarat Agricultural University into four separate state agricultural universities, each serving a distinct agro-climatic zone. The Anand-based campuses and research stations were brought together under the new Anand Agricultural University, with jurisdiction primarily over the middle Gujarat region. The other universities formed in the same reorganisation were Junagadh Agricultural University, Navsari Agricultural University, and Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University.
The university operates a number of constituent colleges and faculties, offering undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes. Major faculties include:
In addition to its colleges, AAU runs polytechnics, krishi vigyan kendras (KVKs), and a network of research stations spread across the districts under its jurisdiction.
As an ICAR-affiliated state agricultural university, AAU conducts research on field crops, horticulture, animal husbandry, dairy technology, agricultural engineering, soil science, plant protection, and post-harvest technology. Its extension wing transfers technology to farmers through KVKs, training programmes, demonstrations, and publications in Gujarati and English. The university has been associated with crop improvement work on tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, and other crops important to middle Gujarat, and with dairy and animal sciences research linked to the region's strong cooperative dairy sector.
AAU plays a central role in agricultural education and research in middle Gujarat, supporting farmers, cooperatives, and agro-industries in districts such as Anand, Kheda, and parts of surrounding areas. Its location in Anand—often referred to as the "Milk Capital of India"—gives the university a particularly close link to dairy science and cooperative-based rural development.