The Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina was created in 1902 in Lima, Peru. The school’s first campus location was in Fundo Santa Beatriz and its current campus, La Molina was opened in 1933 - some 30 years later, the school was officially made a university and was renamed Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina or UNALM in 1960.
It is the country’s best university in the fields of agricultural, biological and forestry sciences and the only university in Peru offering degrees in meteorology. It specialises in the investigation of forest resources in the Amazon forest and has carried out a series of reports on the identification of tree forest species and geographic information in the San Martín Region, among others.
Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina is also considered one of the most important higher education institutions of Peru. Organised into eight faculties, comprising 12 academic departments: the faculty of agronomy, the faculty of life and physical science, the faculty of forestry science, the faculty of economics and planning, the faculty of food science and technology, the faculty of agricultural engineering, the faculty of fisheries science and the faculty of animal science.
Due to a lack of funding from the Peruvian government, few universities conduct research but UNALM is one of 10 out of 80 universities to do so. It has been dedicated to the scientific development of Peru since its inauguration. As well as undergraduate and graduate specialisms, UNALM offers consulting, short courses and training in professional specialisations such as biology, gardening, hydroponics, raising small animals, bakery and meats. It also has a riding school, language centre and sells its own agricultural products to the community from its shop.
