Lietuvos žemės ūkio universiteto vizija

ENSources of Lithuanian Higher Agricultural Education. Sources of Lithuania higher agricultural education are in Vilnius University. In 1803 the Statute of Vilnius University provided the establishment of the department of Agriculture in the faculty of Physics-Mathematics. Under the University administration it functioned untill the closure of Vilnius University in 1832, On the initiative of professor Mykolas Otshapovski the department was established in the University in 1819. The Institute of Agronomy (Agriculture) was established in Pilaite in 1827. Vilnius University department of Agriculture with its base for training and experiments was the first one in Europe. After the suppression of the revolt in 1831 the University was closed and higher as well as regular vocational agricultural education was interrupted for a long time. Young people, who wanted to acquire knowledge of agriculture and to improve production, had to study in foreign countries. Science of agriculture in Independent Lithuania. In the period of fights for independence of Lithuania - on January 27th, 1920 - Higher courses, which were the beginning of the centre of higher courses, were established in Kaunas. Following the decision of the Lithuanian Government the Lithuanian University was established on the basis of these courses on February 16th, 1922. In new Lithuanian University the department of Agronomy and Forestry was established in the faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. This department was set up under the initiative of the dean of Mathematics and Natural Sciences faculty mathematician professor Zigmas Žemaitis.A training farm not far from the University was necessary for training Agronomy specialists. Otherwise, organization of the department work faced serious problems. The decision was made to move Dotnuva farm and the base of a former Agricultural school to the department of Agronomy and Forestry. This brought to the idea to establish an independent higher agricultural school. The Statute of the Agricultural Academy was approved in the Seym session on July 31st, 1924, and the second higher school in Lithuania - Academy of Agriculture - was opened on October 15th, 1924. From the Lithuanian University in Kaunas it received the idea of higher agricultural science, and from Dotnuva Agricultural technical school - material resources. The University provided the possibility for the students of the first two enrolments to take some courses in Kaunas and then be enrolled to senior courses of the Academy of Agriculture. Academy of Agriculture played an important role in independent Lithuania during the interwar period, especially in the country’s agriculture. Academy of Agriculture was a highest institution in the system of agricultural education of Lithuania, which suffered devastations of the World War I. After the period of 92 years higher agricultural education and research was completely rehabilitated. Scientists of the Academy of Agriculture were active in the establishment of new institutions and schools of agronomy. They also were leaders and participants in the activity of Palace of Agriculture, agricultural public organizations, cooperative movement. Together with students of this higher school they greatly contributed to the progress of agriculture in Lithuania in the interwar period.In independent Lithuania a wide network of coooperative milk processing companies was organized very quickly; a care was taken about the improvement of cattle breeds; the first red-spotted cows were acquired; a great number of modern dairies, slaughterhouses, elevators, refrigerators were built; three sugar processing factories came into being; the first tractors were purchased. The export of agricultural production gradually increased every year, and before the war it made 80% of the total export of the country. Peasant’s diligence, intelligently driven by educated agronomists and other agricultural specialists, was the motive power of such a quick progress. They believed in what they were doing, and farmers and the general public of the country believed them. Lithuanian Academy of Agriculture sufferred a lot during the World War П. The Soviet invaders did everything possible to annihilate Lithuanian intelligentsia, therefore, many Academy lecturers and students were arrested and expatriated to Siberia. Not many of them returned. Professor Vincas Vilkaitis was relieved from the post of Rector of the Academy on July 28, 1940, expatriated To Siberia on June 14, 1941 and died there in 1943. On July 31st, 1944, the retreating German army blew up and set on fire the Central Building of the Academy, hostels and other buildings. Despite the Soviet and the Nazi occupations the Academy personnel made every effort to keep spiritual and material values, created in independent Lithuania, and to increase them, to keep in touch with graduates and fanners, to maintain the potential of agricultural production. Thought research and teaching means were lost as well as the biggest agricultural library in Lithuania, resolution, energy and creative enthusiasm of people remained. Lithuanian Academy of Agriculture in the Period of Soviet Occupation Lithuanian Academy of Agriculture was allotted several big building in Kaunas to substitute those, destroyed in Dotnuva. [...].