Undergraduate Catalogue - UPRM

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES
The Plan
• Work periods are integrated within the
curriculum. They do not occur before the
initial school term or after the final school
term has been completed.
• A student must be registered in the
cooperative education course assigned and
will receive six credit-hours in free
electives for a minimum of two work
experiences, one must take place during a
regular semester.
Agricultural Experiment Station
The role of the Agricultural Experiment Station
is to provide the scientific and technological base
necessary for the development of the agricultural
and rural sectors of Puerto Rico. As part of its
functions, the Agricultural Experiment Station
also conducts agro-industrial research related to
the preservation, processing and added-value of
agricultural products. The research program has
incorporated urban horticulture and the
assessment of quality and use of agricultural and
industrial by-products. This program is in
accordance with the appropriate environmental
and governmental policies. In each field,
activities are developed in both basic and applied
research.
The Station has central offices and research
activities at the two main research centers at
Mayagüez and Río Piedras. In addition to the
main Research Centers, the Agricultural
Experiment Station has six substations with a
total area of more than 2,000 acres of land
distributed in different geographical and
ecological zones of Puerto Rico. The
Substations at Adjuntas and Corozal are located
in the central, humid and mountainous region.
Those at Lajas and Juana Díaz are in the dry, flat
and coastal southern region. The Substation at
Isabela is in the sub-humid region and the
Gurabo Substation is in the east central region.
This wide distribution allows for the evaluation
of different crops and animal production systems
in the ecological zones where they best adapt.
Agricultural Extension Service
The Agricultural Extension Service’s basic aim
is to educate on recommended practices in order
to maintain a prosperous agriculture, improve the
quality of family life, and provide adequate
orientation and guidance for youth and for the
development of community resources.
The Agricultural Extension Service is the
informal education branch of the College of
Agricultural Science and offers its services
through four main programs:
• Educational Programs in Agriculture,
Marketing and Natural Resources
• Family and Consumer Sciences
• Youth and 4-H Clubs
• Community Resources Development.
The administrative unit of the College of
Agricultural Sciences has two main offices
located at Mayagüez and Río Piedras, and five
located in San Juan, Arecibo, Mayagüez, Ponce
and Caguas. In addition, 69 local offices fulfill
educational functions by serving the 78
municipalities of Puerto Rico. In each of the
areas served by the Agricultural Extension
Service, a citizens´ committee collaborates with
professional personnel in the preparation and
development of annual work plans for the agency
which respond to Puerto Rico´s needs.
International Programs in Agriculture
The Office of International Programs in
Agriculture administers a number of training
and research programs in tropical agriculture,
mainly through the use of external funds
provided to the University by international
agencies in the field of agriculture.
64 Undergraduate Catalogue 2004-2005