Agricultural University of Iceland

In the 19th century, the need for an agricultural educational institution to train specialists in animal husbandry in Iceland was quite acute. Until a certain point, this problem was solved by training personnel in Great Britain and Denmark , until the summer of 1889, the Parliament of Iceland raised this issue for discussion. As a result, a bill was passed on the allocation of significant funds for the creation of agricultural education in Iceland ^[1] .

The money was given to the Agricultural Bank of Iceland, provided that the bank invited a specialist from Denmark who would have good theoretical knowledge in the field of dairy farming and experience in the best dairy farms in Denmark. This person, upon arrival in Iceland, had to start creating a training and production dairy farm. This farm was not only to become a role model for Icelandic farmers, but also to provide free education in the field of dairy farming and the production of dairy products (cheese, butter, etc.). The purpose of education was to prepare students “so that they can take on the production of dairy products throughout the country” ^[1] .

For Iceland , a relatively young volcanic island dominated by cliffs, rocky wastelands, lava fields and glaciers , the presence of a good food supply played an important role, because the training farm was supposed to be the best in the country. Therefore, Parliament decided to place an agricultural school ( Isl. Búnaðarskóla Suðuramtsins ) in the city of Kvanneyri, which was famous throughout Iceland for its large and lush floodplain meadows along the Kvitau river ( Isl. Hvítá ).

Studying at school began in the fall of 1900. Education was free, but students had to pay for food and accommodation for the period of study, which was to be only three months. The first, and at the beginning the only, student of the school was Guyudlauig Ouskarsdouhtir ( Isl. Guðlaug Óskarsdóttir ) from Reykjavik . Then other students appeared, and already at the beginning of 1901 it was necessary to build a dormitory for students and teachers. In parallel with the increase in the number of students, there was an increase and improvement of the educational and production base - in addition to training rooms, cowsheds , silos , facilities for milking, treatment and examination of livestock, a cheese cellar, a room for oil production and some others were also built ^[1] .

On the night of October 6, 1903, a fire occurred that caused enormous damage to the school - many buildings were completely burned and equipment was damaged. At an extraordinary meeting of the Parliament, the question of the temporary transfer of studies to Reykjavik was decided, but still it was decided to take up the restoration of the school in Kvanneyri . Already on October 18, temporary housing was prepared for students and teachers, and on October 19, theoretical studies and practice on the milking technique began in the surviving barn. Many Icelanders and Icelandic companies joined in the restoration of the school, and by the summer of 1904 the Agricultural School was completely restored. In the fall of 1904, classes began in full in new rooms. The term of study at the school was extended to 8 months; various general educational subjects, such as natural sciences , mathematics , physical education , were also introduced ^[1] .

In 1905, the Agricultural College took under its supervision Kwanneirarkirkju , which until then was in the possession of the Icelandic authorities (the church in Iceland is state-owned and has always been under the full care of the state); this way of economic management of the church is still preserved ^[2] . ^[2] .

In 1907, scientific studies began at the school, in particular, experimental methods for processing milk were developed, various methods for protecting oil from rancidity and the effect of stingray nutrition on oil quality were studied. The effect of mixing sheep and cow milk for the preparation of butter was also investigated ^[1] .

The Agricultural University of Iceland is a state educational and research university in the field of agriculture and the environment. Currently, training of specialists with secondary and higher professional education at the university is carried out on distance and full-time education in 6 specialties of vocational education ^[3] , 6 areas of bachelor training ^[4] and 5 master's degrees ^[5] .

Within the framework of the specialties being implemented, postgraduate and additional education is open. The educational structure of the institute includes three faculties, 10 departments, educational-methodical and scientific departments, research stations, post-graduate and graduate departments, additional and distance education. The institute employs about 50 teachers, of which 15 are doctors of sciences, professors and candidates of sciences, associate professors.

Education at the Agricultural University of Iceland is free, students pay only an annual entrance fee. The university does not provide for the payment of scholarships, but students have the opportunity to obtain a student loan, which they can give after graduation. For students of master's and doctoral programs at the university, the possibility of obtaining research grants is provided. Education at the university is conducted in Icelandic. Upon completion of training at the university, graduates are awarded a bachelor’s degree ^[4] , a master’s and a doctor (candidate) of sciences ^[5] .

The Agricultural University of Iceland includes 3 faculties:

Faculty of the Environment

The Faculty of the Environment is the youngest at the Agricultural University of Iceland. The faculty is engaged in the training of specialists in the field of rational use of natural resources, environmental ecology, national parks and protected natural areas. There are three departments in the faculty:

• Natural History and the Environment
• Forest ecology and natural resource management
• Landscape ecology

Faculty of Land and Animal Resources

The Faculty of Land and Animal Resources prepares specialists in the field of animal husbandry. There are two departments:

• Livestock
• Horse breeding

Faculty of Professional and Continuing Agricultural Education

The faculty has the longest history of existence at the Agricultural University of Iceland and traces its roots to the agricultural school in Südüramt ( Isl. Búnaðarskóla Suðuramtsins ) and the College of Horticulture in Reykir ( Isl. Garðyrkjuskólans á Reykjum ).

The faculty has the following departments:

• Floriculture
• Farms
• Gardening
• Forest and environment
• Landscape design

All departments are located in Kveragerdi ( Isl. Hveragerði ) and organizationally united in the School of Horticulture, only the Department of Farming is located in Kvanneyri and uses for the training of students premises previously owned by the Institute of Agricultural Research.

• University of Iceland
• Kvanneyri

• Torfi Jóhannesson. Agriculture in Iceland: conditions and characteristics. - Rit LbhÍ. - Hvanneyri: Landbúnaðarháskóli Íslands, 2010 .-- 32 p. - ISBN 9789979881070 ; 1670-5785.
• Bjarni Guðmundsson. Hvanneyri: menntasetur bænda í hundrað ar / höfundur Bjarni Guðmundsson. - Hvanneyri: Bændaskolinn a Hvanneyri, 1989 .-- 59 p.
• Landbúnaðarháskóli íslands (neopr.) . Landbúnaðarháskóli íslands. Date of treatment November 3, 2016.