What if I told you that the Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias shaped an entire neighborhood? This faculty is more than just a school. It is the reason the Agronomía neighborhood exists.
The Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias is one of the thirteen faculties of the University of Buenos Aires. It started in 1909 as the Facultad de Agronomía y Veterinaria. The base was the recently formed Instituto Superior de Agronomía y Veterinaria.
The Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias got its current name in 1972. It is located on Avenida San Martín 4453. The Agronomía neighborhood takes its name from this very faculty. Five undergraduate degrees are taught here. They are Agronomy Environmental Sciences Economics and Agrarian Administration Agro-food Management and Landscape Planning and Design.
The Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias also offers five pre-graduate courses. These include Gardening Floriculture Rural Public Auctioneer and Broker Organic Vegetable Production and Rural Tourism. Until 1972 this faculty and the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences were one entity.
In the late 19th century Argentina had few agricultural education institutions. There was the Escuela Superior de Santa Catalina. Later it became the Facultad de Agronomía y Veterinaria of the Universidad Nacional de La Plata. There was also the Escuela de Agricultura de Córdoba. Also present were the schools of Villa Casilda in Santa Fe and Viticulture of Mendoza. There were also six primary schools for agricultural education.
These institutions soon became insufficient. They could not meet the demands of agricultural production. There was a need for greater productivity better crops and better animals. The agricultural frontier needed to expand into marginal regions. It seemed odd that Buenos Aires the most densely populated region lacked an agronomic school.
In 1901 President Julio A Roca ordered the creation of an Agronomic Station. It would have a Model Farm and School of Agriculture. This was to be on the land of the Chacarita de los Colegiales. It was intended for the “Parque del Oeste”.
The project took three years to materialize. On August 19 1904 the Ministry of Agriculture created the Instituto Superior de Agronomía y Veterinaria. This proposal was more ambitious than the Agronomic Station. Wenceslao Escalante was the Minister of Agriculture. He established the regulations for its operation.
The Instituto Superior de Agronomía y Veterinaria was meant to lead agricultural education. There were already primary and secondary schools for this purpose. This was the plan of Wenceslao Escalante.
The founding decree stated the Institute should prepare veterinarians and agronomists. They needed to know the sciences and techniques theoretically and practically. They should be at the highest level found in similar establishments. It was also to be a scientific center. It would follow the universal progress of science and the corresponding arts. The Instituto Superior de Agronomía y Veterinaria should contribute to agricultural progress. It would solve problems through science and experimentation. It would maintain necessary cabinets laboratories and testing stations.
The decree planned for excellent faculty. Professionals would be hired from abroad. The best human resources in the country would be used. The best students would receive scholarships for postgraduate studies abroad. They could be laboratory assistants. After two years they could earn a Doctorate in Agricultural or Veterinary Sciences.
The Rector would manage the establishment. The Rector would have the rank of Head of Division in the Ministry of Agriculture. A Board of Directors would also be formed. The first board included scientists like Florentino Ameghino and Ángel Gallardo. Marcelo Conti Kurt Wolffhügel Salvador Baldasarre and Gualterio Davis were also on the board. The chemist Pedro Arata was appointed Rector.
In 1972 veterinary students mobilized. They held hunger strikes marches and class suspensions. They achieved the enactment of Law 19908 on October 23. The old Facultad de Agronomía y Veterinaria was divided. Separate faculties were created for Agronomy and Veterinary Sciences.
Today the Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias continues to shape agricultural practices. It drives innovation and education in Argentina. From its early days as a combined institute to its current specialized form the Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias remains a vital institution. Its impact extends far beyond its campus influencing the neighborhood and the nation’s agricultural landscape.