The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) is India's largest and foremost Institute in the field of research and higher education and training in agricultural sciences. It has served the cause of science and society with distinction through first rate research, generation of appropriate technologies and development of human resources. In fact, the Green Revolution was born in the fields of IARI and our graduates constitute the core of the quality human resource in India's agricultural research and education. The Institute has all along been adjusting and improving its policies, plans and programmes to effectively respond to the needs and opportunities of the nation. During the fifties, the advancement of scientific disciplines constituted the core programme and provided the base for its fast expansion in the 1960's and 1970's in all its three interactive areas, namely, research, education and extension. Besides basic research, applied and commodity research gained great importance resulting in the development of several popular high yielding varieties of almost all major crops and their associated management technologies, which brought about an unprecedented increase in the national food and agricultural production. The main functions of the Institute cover the areas of basic and applied research in the major branches of agricultural sciences; post graduate education at the M.Sc., M.Tech. and Ph.D. levels for which the Institute has been accorded the status of a Deemed to be University under the University Grants Commission Act of 1956; specialized post graduate training courses; and extension education and transfer of technology in selected areas. The administrative control of the Institute is vested with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), which is an autonomous organization established under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.

The Institute was originally established by the Government of India in 1905 at the village Pusa in north Bihar. After a devastating earthquake in 1934, it was shifted to New Delhi in 1936. That is why it is popularly known as the Pusa Institute. The present campus of the Institute is a self-contained complex spread over an area of about 500 hectares.

The Institute has inherited a great tradition of agricultural research. Since its early days at Pusa, the Institute has been doing pioneering work in various fields of agricultural sciences. The Institute has expanded greatly in its activities, research facilities and scientific personnel in the post-independence years. When the Institute came to New Delhi in 1936 it had five Sections. Today, the Institute's research and educational activities are carried out through a network of 35 Divisions/ multi-disciplinary laboratories/ Centres of Excellence / units and 8 Regional Stations. The Institute has been accredited by the NAEAB of ICAR, NAAC of UGC as A+ and ranked 23rd among overall institutions of the country by MHRD ranking 2017.

Faculty of the Institute at present is about 750 in 26 disciplines.

Hostels

IARI is a fully residential campus for the students. Institute has five hostels for Boys (Hemant, Vasant, Shishir, Grishm and Sharad), one for Girls (Varsha) and one Saraswati Apartment for married students. These are spacious, well furnished hostels. Apart from hygienic foods, hostels provide recreational facilities including TVs, indoor games, book shop, hair dressing saloon etc. Each hostel has its own wardens, a member of faculty who administers the hostels.

Sports Activity

The Institute encourages extra curricular activities that enrich cultural, physical and social life of students. Spacious playgrounds are provided near the student hostels and necessary facilities exist for outdoor games like cricket, football, hockey, volleyball, tennis, badminton and various athletic events. There are facilities also for indoor games like Chess, Carom and Table Tennis in each hostel. There is a Students Sports Fund to which every student subscribes at the beginning of each academic year. Various yoga classes are organized free of cost from time to time to make awareness in students and residents for fitness. IARI actively organizes the sports meet where students get to show their talents. Students participate in various sports activities, each sport has a institute level team to participate in sports competition.

Auditorium

The Auditorium is named after the ex-director of the institute Dr. B. P. Pal. It has a seating capacity of 350. It is fully air conditioned with LCD projector and audio-video facilities. Other facilities includes a Control Room, Rehearsal Room, Editing Room and A VIP Room. There is pantry available with direct access to the stage. Its free for IARI and ICAR institutional activities. Outsiders are charged INR 10000 per day with permission from the Director, IARI.