History of the Faculty

On the recommendation of the committee on affiliated University colleges (1994) nine Affiliated University collages spread out in various provinces of the country were merged to from two National Universities , the Rajarata and Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka on 1996. The Affiliated University college of the North Western province which consisted of two academic sections namely; Home science and Nutrition and the Agriculture, originally affiliated to the University of kelaniya and peradeniya respectively, were merged to from the Wayamba Campus of the Rajarata University in terms of the provisions of the section 18 and 47(1) of the University act. No 16 of 1978 and campus board ordinance NO: 3 of 1995.

Two faculties were set up to from the Wayamba Campus namely, the faculty of Agricultural Science and the faculty of Applied Seiences, each with three departments of study. The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences constituted the Department of plantation Management, Horticultural Sciences and Food Technology and Agricultural Engineering. A three year general degree in Agricultural Science was offered.

Later in 1999, a committee was appointed to made recommendations to upgrade the Wayamba Campus to a fully-fledged university. Based on the recommendations of this committee the Wayamba University was established in August 1999. With that faculty of Agricultural Sciences taken over to the Wayamba University in 1999 and Rajarata University looses its Agriculture Faculty.

In year 2001 a new Agriculture Faculty of the Rajarata University was incepted at Puliyankulama closes to ancient Anuradhapura and about ten kilometers away from Mihintale where administration building complex and other sister faculties were located. It was started at a renovated paddy store complex where faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities was located earlier. From the beginning there were three departments namely,

• Department of Agricultural Systems.
• Department of Plant Sciences.
• Department of Soil and Water Resources Management.

A new curricular was designed with the objective of uplifting dry zone agriculture and awarded a B.Sc degree in Agriculture which is a four year special degree.

First batch of 17 students was recruited in 21 April 2001 under the patronage of the first dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at Puliyankulama Prof. S.H. Upasena. From that, three comprehensive curriculum revisions were carried out in 2003,2006 and 2014. The total annual intake is 165 students today.