Message from the Head of the Department
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Department of Agrometeorology at Gazipur Agricultural University, Gazipur 1706, Bangladesh. Our department plays a vital role in bridging the gap between atmospheric sciences and agricultural practices, with the goal of enhancing sustainable crop production in the face of climate variability and change.
We are committed to excellence in teaching, research, and outreach. Our dedicated faculty members and researchers are actively engaged in cutting-edge studies on weather forecasting, climate modeling, agrometeorological risk management, and climate-smart agriculture. We also maintain strong collaborations with national and international organizations to address the emerging challenges of food security, extreme weather events, and climate adaptation.
The Department offers postgraduate programs designed to equip students with scientific knowledge and practical skills in agrometeorology, empowering them to become future leaders, researchers, and professionals in agriculture and climate-related fields.
We invite students, researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders to explore our website, learn more about our academic and research activities, and join us in our mission to make agriculture more resilient and climate-smart.
Thank you for visiting us.
Prof. Md. Abdul Baset Mia,
Ph.D.
About the Department (link of old website)
Vision
Contribute to minimize risks in agricultural production systems through better
understanding of meteorological events.
Mission
Fostering quality education and research in the specialized field of agricultural meteorology.
Objectives
- To serve as a center of excellence for postgraduate studies and research in
agrometeorology, - To facilitate basic and applied research activities for better management
of weather risks in agriculture; - To provide agro-advisory and policy support in order to ensure food and
nutrition security of the country.
Development of the Discipline of the department
The department of Agrometeorology is the 15th department starting in April, 2022 as a collaboration between GAU and the Department of Agricultural Extension through Agrometeorological Information Systems Development Project (AMISDP) financed by the World Bank. The department sprawls over 6000 square feet in the Faculty of Agriculture Building. It has one well equipped classroom, one Agrometeorology Lab, one Computer Lab, a Greenhouse and an Automatic Weather Station. Besides, there are sitting arrangements for faculty members, Head of the Department, and staffs. There is also a Library Cum Reading Room dedicated for the Students. At present there are 10 faculty members serving in the department as additional duty. MS Programme was started in Winter-2022 Term. The classes started on 29 January, 2023. At present there are 12 students of which 9 are female and 3 male.
Milestone Activities
| Feb/2020: | First meeting between BSMRAU (presently GAU), DAE and the World Bank |
| Mar/2020: | Official proposal was sent by AMISDP Authority to BSMRAU |
| Mar/2020: | BSMRAU (presently GAU) Academic Council approved the draft curricula for MS in Agrometeorology |
| Sep/2020: | UGC approved the opening of Agrometeorology Department at BSMRAU (presently GAU) |
| July/2021: | MoU was signed between AMISDP and BSMRAU (presently GAU) |
| April/2022: | Faculty members were assigned to the department |
| May/2022: | Course Content Development Committee was formed |
| July/2022: | Internal workshop and consultation meeting with the World Bank Team held |
| August/2022: | Head of the Department was appointed; Draft course curricula was sent for review |
| Sept/2022: | Supporting staffs were appointed |
| January/2023: | National level Consultation Workshop on course curricula was held at BSMRAU(presently GAU) ; Course curricula was approved by the Academic Council of BSMRAU (presently GAU) and Academic activities started in Winter term, 2022 |
Faculty members
In order for the academic management of the department, a total of ten faculty members from five relevant major disciplines were appointed by the university. The expertise of the members covers more than five broader aspects of agrometeorological services.
Board of Studies
The department of Agrometeorology has a Board of Studies (BOS) comprising all the faculty members of the department and an external expert-member. The BOS is chaired by the head of the department. The BOS recommends curriculum, major professor and research supervisors for approval and reviews academic programs, course requirements, course offering plan and related matters of the departments.
Academic Management
The Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies coordinates the academic activities of the department including admission at postgraduate level. The Head of the department administers the academic program. There are three terms in an academic year, i.e. Summer, Autumn and Winter Term. Students can get enrolled in any of the mentioned terms.
Facilities
Physical Facilities
A separate floor of around 6000 sq. ft. has been allocated for the Department
having the
following facilities:
| Office room | 10 |
| Conference room | 01 |
| Classroom | 01 |
| Laboratory room | 02 |
| Reading room cum Library | 01 |
| Service room | 01 |
| Store room | 01 |
| Toilet block | 03 |
Classrooms
A Classroom has been established and renovated for this department. The classroom is well equipped with modern teaching-aids, internet, and live communication facilities for online classes. The class room size is designed for 40 students.
Conference Room
A full furnished Conference room with a capacity of 50 participants has been established within the Department. The conference room has internet facilities and audiovisual aids and also video conferencing system.
Laboratory Facilities Computer Lab
A full-furnished Computer Lab with 25 Desktop Computers and Digital Interactive Board has been established to provide support to training workshops. The lab room has internet facilities and audiovisual aids and also video conferencing system.
Research Laboratory
The department has two specialized laboratories housed at the BS building of GAU. A state of the art computer laboratory for geospatial analysis, and another laboratory containing modern equipment for field experiment were built.
Greenhouse
A greenhouse sprawling an area of 1200 square ft. was developed for the Department. Specialized growth chambers and experimental compartments equipped with temperature and humidity controlling mechanism. An automatic irrigation and fertigation equipment was also installed for research purpose.
Weather Station
The department has in its disposal a modern automatic weather station with automatic weather data collection and storage facilities. Besides, there are also conventional weather observation and recording equipment.
Library
The library is an important organ in support and development of high quality teaching, research and outreach programs. The university library houses a comprehensive and current collection of local and foreign journals relating to the agricultural and social sciences. The library includes more than twenty-two thousand books. In addition to book and journal collection, the library provides an interlibrary loan service and a computerized database of Bangladesh research titles and abstract. At present a total 70 issues of text and reference Books are available for the students and faculty members.
Academic Calendar
The curriculum of the university is based on the course credit system. MS degree from the department of AGM is offered in selected subjects of agricultural disciplines. The curriculum has been designed to improve the quality of education in the field of agricultural meteorology. At beginning of each academic year, detailed calendar of all academic activities is provided to all faculty members and the graduate students.
Admission
Applications are invited from the candidates by announcement of the admission notice in newspapers and/or university website before the beginning of each academic term. Candidates are required to apply in a prescribed form, which is available in academic section or website of the university. A candidate for admission to GAU may give choice for only three departments in order of preference. Selection shall be
made on the basis of candidates past academic records and preference. Foreign student may apply for
admission at any time. Detail procedures can be found at https://gau.edu.bd/fgds/. Both fresh students and in-service students are welcome to the university. An in-service candidate must submit an evidence of leave/deputation obtained from the employer along with the application for admission.
Scholarships and Fellowships
Merit Scholarship
A few merit scholarships are provided as per university
scholarship
rules and regulation. After successful completion of first term of admission student may apply for merit
scholarship
from second term. For merit scholarship students have to apply In due time as mentioned in
academic calendar.
General Stipend
The university provides general stipend to the enrolled students from the first term of admission. For general stipend, students have to apply in prescribed form in due time as mentioned in the academic calendar.
Graduate Research Assistantship
Depending on the availability of funds few fellowships and graduate research assistantships (GRA) are also provided, GRAs are part-time research assistant (GRA) to assist in the research programs in the relevant departments. Such appointments are for the period of maximum three terms or less and subject to renewal each term contingent upon academic performance, work performance, and availability of funds. Appointments and renewal must be recommended by the GRA selection committee and approved by the Vice-Chancellor of the University.
Research Activities
The department facilitates research activities covering different aspects of agrometeorology. The on-going MS research projects of the students are as follows:
- Impact of cumulative temperature on the phenology and growing degree days of bread wheat
- Impact of heat stress and drought stress on the productivity of wheat Assessment of agro-edaphic and agro-climatic suitability of minor cereals in Charland Ecosystem
- Radiation use efficiency of tomato genotypes under drought stress
- Impact of increasing temperature on rice in the Northwestern region of Bangladesh
- Evaluation of existing occurrence and advisory systems for Blast disease in rice
- Rainfall variability and its impact on crop production
- CO2 emission from organic matter amended soil in relation to meteorological parameters using tree-based hybrid data mining model Spatio-temporal drought monitoring in the Barind Tract area
Course Review Activities
The Department arranges regular Course Review Meetings and Workshops including
both students and faculty members to strengthen the teaching and learning methods.
Training Workshop
The Department offered several training workshops for both students and faculty
members of GAU. The training workshops are as follows:
- Application of Remote Sensing and GIS in Agriculture
- Data Analyses and Visualization in Agricultural Research with “R”
- Application of DSSAT in Agricultural Research
- Interactive Learning Workshop on Teaching Methodology for Crop-Weather Relationship
Seminar and Workshop
The Department arranged several seminar and workshops on different aspects
related to
agrometeorological research and development. The notable ones are:
- Application of geo-spatial techniques in agricultural research,
- Application of GIS and Remote Sensing in agriculture
- Consultation workshop on course curricula for agrometeorology
- Satellite based irrigation systems for crop production
- Agrometeorological education, research and advisory services in southeast asian countries
- Agricultural management in the coastal region in the context of climate change
Field Visits
The department arranged study tours and field visits for the students and faculty members to related organization like BMD, SPARRSO, DAE.
Consultation Meeting with farmers at Field Level
The department arranged consultation meetings with farmers in Cox’s Bazar regarding their agricultural management practices in the context of climate change.
Visit of International Subject Matter Experts
Several International Subject Matter Experts from different countries, e.g. India, Pakistan, Nepal and USA visited the department and also conducted lecture sessions and training workshops for the students and faculty members.