البحوث
THE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SYSTEM OF SUDAN
Agricultural research (AR) in Sudan dates back to the turn of the century. Formal AR began in the northern
province in 1902 and near Khartoum in 1903 to explore the possibilities of growing cotton under irrigation. This was
followed shortly by similar work at Rumbek and Wau, in the south, for rain-grown cotton. The Wellcome Tropical
Research Laboratories were established in Khartoum in 1903, with emphasis on medical research, but they also
conducted chemical and entomological research related to agriculture. Botanical and agricultural research started in
1904 at Shambat Research Station. Pilot schemes and experiments by the Sudan Plantation Syndicate showed that
cotton could be grown successfully on a commercial scale in the Gezira area. This promoted the establishment of
Gezira Research Station in 1918. In 1931, the Agricultural Research Service was formed as an independent body,
and in 1935, it was absorbed into the Department of Agriculture and Forests. In 1944, the new Agricultural Research
Division (ARD) was established.
