The Postgraduate Program in Agronomy is taught by an association between the Paraná State University at Londrina (UEL) and the Institute for Rural Development of Paraná (IDR -PR). To date, the program has been evaluated as “excellence” (Federal Brazilian agency CAPES – Concept 6) due to outstanding performance in regional, national, and international Agricultural Sciences since 2000.
Northern Paraná is one of the hotspots of agricultural production and research in Brazil. Small and medium-sized farms predominate what leads to generating employment and income. Crop diversity including a range of cereals, fruits, vegetables and forages is predominant. Agribusiness is the foundation of the Paraná economy, and the northern region is characterized by intensive agriculture with high productivity and wide adoption of technologies, generating constant demand for research, teaching and extension, at various levels of capital and technology.
The mission of the Postgraduate Program in Agronomy is to train excellence professionals, through technical, scientific, and humanistic instruction. As well high standards for research and teaching capacitation for public or private institutions in the frontiers of the science. Research projects prioritizes the development of sustainable and regenerative agricultural systems compatible with the rational use of agricultural inputs, producing high quality yields with reduced environmental impact.
Besides hundreds of gradated masters and doctors, a large collection of technologies has already been developed. Previously, students and researchers/professors from UEL and IDR PR participated in the development of the “No tillage system”, in its roots and initial expansion. Later, this system spread out throughout the entire Brazil and South American croplands and impacted positively agriculture in the entire world. Concentration areas include: crop production; plant breeding and applied biotechnology; plant protection; and soil science; encompassing agriculture, plant physiology, horticulture, genetic improvement of annual, energy and perennial crops, integrated pest management, phytopathogens of agricultural importance, sustainable soil management, soil fertility and plant nutrition, among others.
The program also works closely associated with the entire State technical assistance and rural extension institutions. This network of technology diffusion allows to establish the real demands of the productive sector, tipping objective and emerging issues. Using a network of experimental stations throughout the State, solutions may be established under different soil and climate conditions. Hence, postgraduate students and the guidance committee validate the formulated hypotheses in multiple locations increasing results credibility. Immediately, the information, processes or products obtained become available to farmers through the extension system.
International agreements also enable national and international mobility of students and professors. Forein students demanding training on tropical and subtropical agricultural systems are welcome in the program. For more information about application process, contact the program secretary at pg_agro@uel.br.