News Releases

The UWI Announces New Name for Faculty of Food and Agriculture

For Release Upon Receipt - October 28, 2026

St. Augustine


ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago – 28 October 2026 – The University of the West Indies (The UWI), St. Augustine Campus has announced that its Faculty of Food and Agriculture will become the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Sustainability following approval granted at the Annual Business Meeting of Council held on 8th May 2026.

The new name is well timed and better reflects the science, innovation, technology and sustainability represented in contemporary agriculture and in the faculty’s teaching, research and related work, while giving prospective students and the wider public a clearer picture of the faculty’s scope.

The faculty’s departments are the Department of Entrepreneurship, Nutrition, and Extension (DENE), the Department of Food and Resource Management Systems (DFRMS) and the Department of Geography and Sustainability Sciences (DGSS). Its field station is The UWI Innovation Farm (UIF).

With a distinctive regional responsibility, the faculty aligns its teaching, research and capacity-building to go beyond knowledge generation, supporting practical solutions, meaningful partnerships and measurable regional impact that strengthen resilience across Caribbean agricultural and food systems.

The faculty undertook broad regional consultations to ensure its future direction reflected both the scale of these challenges and the needs of the sector. Consultations with government ministries across CARICOM, CARICOM-related agencies, international development partners including FAO and IICA, Consortium of Universities in CARICOM Involved in Agricultural Education and Research (CUCAER) tertiary institutions and the Faculty’s Advisory Board drew support from all stakeholders.

“Agricultural, environmental and food systems in this region run on science, technology and innovation, and our identity should reflect that. It should also inspire the next generation of students by helping them to see themselves as future leaders, innovators and problem-solvers in these fields,” said Professor Mark N. Wuddivira, Dean of the Faculty.

The transition will be implemented in phases.

The rebrand is being introduced under the theme “Same Roots. New Name.”, reflecting continuity with the faculty’s history while giving greater visibility to the work it represents today.

The faculty traces its roots to the West Indies Agricultural College, founded in 1921, a legacy that forms part of more than a century of agricultural education at St. Augustine.

 

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About The UWI

The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region.

From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Open Campus, and 10 global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world.

The UWI has been consistently ranked among the top universities globally by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE). In the latest World University Rankings 2022, released in September 2021, The UWI moved up an impressive 94 places from last year. In the current global field of some 30,000 universities and elite research institutes, The UWI stands among the top 1.5%.

The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists since its debut in the rankings in 2018. In addition to its leading position in the Caribbean, it is also in the top 20 for Latin America and the Caribbean and the top 100 global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old).  The UWI is also featured among the leading universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action.

For more, visit www.uwi.edu.

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