The University of Bologna Experimental Farm - AUB dates from 1974 and was designed to support research and experiments conducted by departments of the Bologna University School of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine.
As concerns research, the Farm enables programmes to be devised for the benefit of theoretical and applied studies. Experimental projects include issues bound up with farm management: defence of the land, fertilizing the land, and improving techniques of herbaceous and tree cultivation.
The Ozzano Centre has a teaching cow-house for dairy cattle, geared to experimentation with different feeds and their yield.
One section of the Farm is applying an ongoing protocol of organic agriculture, a subject of wide topical interest yet controversial in the technical and scientific world.
Today’s Farm puts on services to design, implement and maintain areas of greenery throughout the University; it also runs a canteen at the Cadriano Centre for teaching and experiment. In general, it is an ‘observatory’ onto agriculture as practised in our country, fielding the kind of questions that consumers and agriculturists expect the academic world to answer. This helps to make experimental and research projects more ‘targeted’.
This whole multi-faceted facility forms an important training-ground for students; it is used for guided tours and practical work, and can be profitably harnessed to practical applied internships and above all graduation dissertations.