College of Agriculture & Consumer Sciences

History of the College of Agriculture & Consumer Sciences

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The invaluable contributions of Agriculture to the development of Ghana coupled with the need to train the required manpower to help improve the contributions of this viable sector to national development motivated the Ghana Cocoa Marketing Board (CMB) to donate a sum of £1 million to the University College of the Gold Coast in 1949/50, for the establishment of a Faculty of Agriculture. Teaching began in 1953/54 under a Department of Agriculture. By 1962/63 four Department had been established, namely;

a. Agricultural Economy and Farm Management

b. Animal Science

c. Biochemistry, Nutrition and Food Science

d. Crop Husbandry and Horticulture

In 1963, Biochemistry, Nutrition and Food Science decoupled to join the Faculty of Science. Over the years, there have been changes to improve the breadth and depth of the programmes in response to changing national needs. For instance, Divisions of Agricultural Extension and Farm Mechanization were started in 1965 as part of the Department of Agricultural Economy and Farm Management. These have since become full Departments of Agricultural Extension and Agricultural Engineering. The Division of Agricultural Economy retained the name Department of Agricultural Economy and Farm Management and subsequently after the year 2000, the name was further changed to Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness. In addition, a B.Sc. Home Science degree programme was introduced in 1966. In 1982, the Division of Soil Science under the Department of Crop Science became a Department. Recently, the Department of Agricultural Engineering has become one of the components of the newly established Faculty of Engineering Sciences. Thus currently, there are six Departments in the School of Agriculture namely;

a. Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness

b. Agricultural Extention

c. Animal Science

d. Crop Science

e. Soil Science

f. Family & Consumer Sciences (formerly Department of Home Science)

The Faculty initially offered a three-year B.Sc. (General Agricultural Degree) until 1962/63 when a four-year B.Sc. (Honours) Agriculture Degree in Animal Science, Crop Science, Agricultural Economics or Soil Science was introduced. In 1973/74 academic year, however, the programme was revised to a three-year B.Sc. Agriculture Degree in Animal Science, Crop Science, Soil Science and Agricultural Economics. Recently, after the Nation Education Reform Programme was introduced in 1987, an additional year was introduced as Level 100 that makes all degree programmes last for four years. The B.Sc. Home Science degree has similarly undergone some modifications over the years. Currently, the department offers both B.Sc. and B.A. degrees in Home Science.

To enhance the faculty’s teaching and research Programmes, three Agricultural Research Stations (ARS) were established and strategically located at Legon (Nungua), Kade and Kpong. ARS Legon (formerly ARS Nungua) was established by the Faculty in 1953. ARS Kpong was originally established in 1954 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) to study irrigated and mechanized farming. It was later taken over by the University as the Agricultural Irrigation Research Station, (AIRS) Kpong in 1957. ARS Kade was set up in 1957/58 with a grant of one million Pounds from CMB.

The three Research Stations are now designated as Research Centres (ARC) at Kade, Kpong and Legon. There is also a Biotechnology Research Centre which together with the three Research Centres for the Institute of Agricultural Research. Thus the College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences is made up of the School of Agriculture, the newly established School of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Agricultural Research, and yet to be established School of Family and Consumer Sciences (now Department of Family & Consumer Sciences).

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