Department of Agriculture

Background :

The Department of Agriculture of the Regentropfen College of Applied Sciences prides itself as the haven of knowledge for pacesetters. The department has a philosophy of providing quality training which blends theory with practice to prepare our students and graduates to face the real world.  The focus of the programme is to train the students to combine analytical and critical thinking to either create their own jobs or seek employment after the degree programme or continue to pursue a postgraduate degree programme as they wish.

Since its inception in 2016, the department has graduated three (3) Batches of its students from both the Diploma and Bachelor degree  programmes. The programmes offered at the department are affiliated to the University for Development Studies, Tamale as the mentoring institution. The department has enjoyed good working relationship with the Faculty of Agriculture of University for Development Studies. The programmes are fully accredited by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC). The department has also developed collaboration with Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) in Bolgatanga as well as West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL).

Vision:

The vision of the department is to provide theoretical and practical training to students in agriculture to pursue various careers in agriculture for the purposes of transforming the local economy through agriculture.

Mission:

The mission of the department is to provide quality education and training which blends theory with practical skills to prepare students and graduates to face real world situation and offer practical solution to agricultural problems in their communities and the country at large.

Uniqueness of the Department/ Programmes:

The department has structured its programmes to ensure that our graduates acquire adequate knowledge, skills and practical experience to make them ready and well equipped for the job market or start their own businesses. The curricula of the department has been uniquely tailored to meet the standards of climate-smart agriculture and to provide diverse opportunities for students to explore international and local agriculture in the fields of agricultural research in plant, Irrigation, post-harvest and pest management. The training is geared towards modernizing agriculture and ensuring that various researches are conducted and experimented towards providing solutions to the challenges facing local farmers. The programmes are designed to ensure direct contact between the department (faculty and students) and the surrounding communities through its Farm Practice Rotation where students are assigned to specific farmer groups to help communicate and transfer the knowledge generated from research. The programmes enable students to have direct contact with local farmers, NGOs, MoFA and other bodies working directly with farmers. Through this arrangement, students are able to manage demonstration farms and even manage agribusinesses whiles schooling.

Programmes:

BSc. Degree in Agriculture for Social Change (a four-year programme)

Diploma in Agriculture for Social Change (a two-year programme).

Teaching Methods:

Lectures, Farm practical, Laboratory practical, seminars, and field trips.

Major Projects Currently Run by Department:

1. 1. Local Poultry Project
   2. Small Ruminants Project
   3. Beekeeping Project
   4. Moringa Project

   Future Plans of the Department:

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   Establishing the ReCAS Agriculture Research Institute

   Establishment of ReCAS Model Animal Farm for training and research

   Introduction of specialized courses in agriculture

   Staff Strength:

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   The department currently has five full time staff and other part time staff who are PhD and MPhil holders. Staff from other departments also assist the department in handling the general courses of the College. The department is also supported by two junior staff in charge of the projects we are running. One out of the two staff also doubles as a student in ReCAS.

   Profile of Full Time Lecturers

   	Name	Highest Qualification	Research Interest/ Area of Specialization
   1	Dr. Raphael Fiagbomeh Lecturer (Head of Department)	PhD (2012) George- August -University, Goettingen, Germany	Forest Sciences
   2	Mr. George Agana Akuriba Lecturer (Programmes Coordinator)	MPhil. (2017) University of Ghana	Agribusiness
   3	Mr. Cephas Azubire Atooh Assistant Lecturer	MPhil. (2017), University for Development Studies, Ghana	Biotechnology/Animal Science,
   4	Mr. Humphrey Anafo Assistant Lecturer	MPhil (2018) University for Development Studies, Ghana	Environment and Resource Management
   5	Mr. Vincent Abe-Inge Assistant Lecturer	MPhil (2018) KNUST, Ghana	Food Science