Engineering in Agronomy

Engineering in Agronomy

(Option: Soil Sciences, Plant Science and Water and Forests)

The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, one of the 6 faculties of the Université Catholique de Bukavu (UCB), a private university created in 1989 by decree of the Archbishop of Bukavu and declared of public utility by presidential decree n° 06/106 June 12, 2006. As a university, it has a threefold mission: teaching, research and service to the community.

II. Staff

Permanent professors

5 permanent teachers

• 2 Doctors in Agronomic Sciences, option Agricultural economic entomology and biological control,
• 1 Doctor in Agronomic Sciences, option genetics and plant improvement,
• 1 Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, general agronomy option.

8 permanent professors attached to other faculties of the University

• 5 local visiting teachers (Bukavu)
• 3 visiting professors from elsewhere
• • 4 supervisors from other faculties of the University
  • 5 supervisors from the city's universities and 2 from elsewhere
  • 1 assistant from a faculty of the University and 6 from the university institutions of Bukavu

Faculty scientific staff

• 12 Masters in agronomy including 5 doctoral students and 3 assistants including 1 doctoral student; this scientific staff provides practical work and sometimes certain courses that do not require specialization at doctoral level.

III. Student population and graduates

the student population (registered students) and the number of graduates (agricultural engineers) increase from year to year, as can be seen in the table below.

The students come from all the provinces, particularly from South Kivu. For 2009-2010, 117 students are enrolled in the 1st year of agronomy, a first record. The number of registrants also includes G1 Biomedical, placed under the authority of the Dean of Agronomy.

IV. Faculty Orientations

The faculty currently has three orientations, namely plant science (crop production), soil sciences and water and forests. Indeed, the province of South Kivu being in a fragile ecology, it is important to take care of soil problems for a sustainable agricultural exploitation and a reasoned exploitation of the forest in order to counter the effects of climate change.

As soon as the training of Assistants is very advanced, the department of chemistry and food processing will be opened to the faculty, with a view to giving added value to foodstuffs and meeting the government's concern in this area.

V. Areas of research

For tenured agricultural professors, the areas of research are plant improvement, soil fertilization with local resources available to the farmer, and crop protection against diseases and pests using local resources, especially plants. reputed to have a local effect, especially plants reputed to have an insecticidal or insect-repellent or fungicidal effect, complaints which, moreover, do exist in the region. In fact, agriculture in South Kivu is practiced in large part by peasants, who hardly sow one hectare per year, given their meager means. Recommending them modern methods of fertilization or plant protection is beyond their purse. It should also be noted here the identification of material resistant to diseases and pests and the characterization of this resistance.

In the field of livestock, emphasis should be placed on improving the genetic diet of goats and cattle.

VI. Partnership

The faculty partners are numerous, both for teaching and for research. By way of example, we can mention for education the universities of Kinshasa, Kisangani and the IFA, inside and the University of Burundi and the UCL, outside, during times of war; for research: VLIR, Ghent University, KUL, INERA, CIALCA, CUD, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Pharmakina, Bralima, Ruforum, etc.

The faculty is ready to collaborate with any professor interested in food security, wetland remediation, climate change and any other area of agricultural research.

VII. Logistics

The faculty has three farms located within a radius of 30 kilometers from Bukavu, for a total area of more than 250 ha. In these farms the faculty undertakes the multiplication of seeds and the breeding of about sixty heads of cattle. Improvement of pasture is underway to provide good grass for livestock and ensure food in the dry season.

The soil and plant analysis and analytical chemistry laboratories are operational, as are those for soil microbiology, phytopathology and in vitro culture.

Research projects have been funded and are ongoing; these include a project on cleaning cassava clones against cassava mosaic disease (African Cassava Mosaic Disease), the dynamics of production sectors in the province of South Kivu, VLIR projects - GIFS and VLIR-inputs, completed projects; underway are the system of intensification of irrigated rice cultivation and the introduction of mid-altitude maize germplasm and the production of inoculants to increase the production of legumes.

The VLIR CIU is funding a 12-year project on the agronomic aspect of resource management in Kivu in the context of post-conflict management and CRS is funding a project on the promotion of coffee growing in South Kivu.

VIII. Outlook

The immediate needs of the faculty are the search for partners in foreign universities who would agree to collaborate with UCB to:

• provide support for the operation of animal production guidelines and food chemistry and technology through teaching assignments;
• enrich the documentation and carry out joint research programs, the research potential being enormous in this part of the DRC

In terms of equipment, the faculty would like to acquire a GIS laboratory (the steps are in progress), a plant clinic to meet the needs of planters and the food technology laboratory. In terms of training, the faculty would like to train at least 2 PhDs in food technology and 2 PhDs in food technology and 2 PhDs in forest management.