Since its inception in 1980, the Department of Agricultural Communication has achieved many landmarks and has been engaged in teaching and applied research with its developed academic programme and need based research activities. The department was created under the Centre of Advanced Studies in Agricultural Communication (CASAC) one of its own kinds with collaborative effort of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

CASAC has specific objectives of developing its academic programme to produce skilled professionals, providing in-service training to media professionals and extension professionals and to create infrastructure for providing development support communication to different segments of the University for promoting effective teaching, training and extension.

The academic curriculum for both M.Sc. and Ph.D. was developed by deliberations of Faculty of Agricultural Communication and Foreign Consultants. The faculty is trained from renowned foreign institutes/universities namely Syracuse University, University of Cornell, BBC (London), Philippines, Philadelphia, Wisconsin etc. for sharpening their skills. The specific areas in which the faculty was trained were educational technology, speech communication, distance learning, video & television production, information management and documentation, communication research, agricultural journalism, and technologies related with audio-cassettes.

The post graduate programme was started in the year 1981 and Ph.D. programme was started in the year 1992.

From time to time the department changed its degree title, in 1994 it was changed from Agri. Communication to Development Communication. Keeping the directives of ICAR in mind for uniform curriculum, the department restructured its curriculum and degree title for Master’s and Ph.D. degree it was changed to Agricultural Extension and communication in the year 2005.

Vision

Department endeavors to make significant contribution in preparing academicians in the field of Agricultural Extension and Communication to meet the future demand of the country.

Mandate:

Implementation of need based curriculum for producing professionals in the field of Extension and Communication.

Strengthening and developing new programmes in Extension and Communication.

Developing IT enabled education.

Prioritizing location specific and clientele specific research for Uttarakhand state in the field of extension and communication.