The Department of Agrotechnology, Agricultural Production Management and Agribusiness was established on January 1, 2015 by the resolution of the Senate of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn No. 636 of December 19, 2014 on the approval of the organizational structure of institutes and departments in the faculties of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn. The Chair was created by merging two units - the Chair of Agrotechnology and Plant Production Management and the Chair of Agribusiness and Environmental Economics. Prof. Krzysztof Jankowski, Prof. UWM, who since 01.06.2014 was the Head of the Department of Agrotechnology and Plant Production Management, became the Head of the Department.

 

The Department of Agrotechnology and Agricultural Production Management has continued the traditions of the Department of Detailed Plant Cultivation established in 1950, whose first director was Prof. Dr. Tadeusz Blok. There were three employees in the Department at that time. After the death of Prof. Dr. Tadeusz Blok in 1957, the chair was entrusted to Dr. Kazimierz Saloni.
In 1958, in the Department of the Detailed Plant Crop Production were created: Department of Detailed Plant Cultivation, headed by Associate Professor Kazimierz Saloni, and Department of Industrial Plants, headed by Associate Professor Dzierzykraj Hulewicz. The staff composition of the Department was as follows: 2 associate professors, 2 assistant professors, 3 senior assistants, 1 assistant professor and 2 scientific and technical assistants.
After the death of Associate Professor Kazimierz Saloni in October 1962, the management of the Department and both units was taken over by Professor Dzierzykraj Hulewicz, who, however, in May 1965 went to work for the WSR in Lublin. During the years 1965-1967 the duties of the Head of the Department were performed by Dr Kazimierz Majkowski, and the scientific supervisor was Prof. Dr Witold Niewiadomski. In 1967 Associate Professor Stefan Paprocki became the Head of the Department of Industrial Plants, and the Department of Detailed Plant Cultivation was headed by Dr Kazimierz Majkowski.
After the organizational structure of the school and faculty was changed in 1971, the Department of Detailed Plant Crop Production became a part of the Institute of Agricultural and Plant Cultivation (together with the Department of General Plant Cultivation and the Departments of Silviculture and Horticulture), whose director until 1974 was Prof. Dr. Witold Niewiadomski, and since 1974 Associate Prof. Dr. Kazimierz Majkowski.
In 1973 two departments were separated within the didactic team of the Department of Plant Production: The first one was Head of the Department of Cereal and Industrial Plants, under the direction of Associate Prof. Kazimierz Majkowski, and the second one was Head of the Department of Fodder Plants and Oilseed Crops, under the direction of Associate Prof. Kazimierz Majkowski, since 1978. From 1978 (i.e. until the Department was taken over by the Warsaw Agricultural University) it was headed by Prof. Dr. Stefan Paprocki, and then from 1980 by Prof. Dr. Gabriel Fordonski. In 1983 the Department of Detailed Plant Crop Production was renamed to the Department of Plant Production which was headed by Prof. Kazimierz Majkowski, PhD, until 1988. At the moment of establishing the Department of Plant Production the faculty consisted of: 1 associate professor, 1 assistant professor, 1 senior lecturer, 4 assistant professors, 4 senior assistants, and 9 engineering-technical staff (altogether 20 persons).
From 1988 to 1998 the Chair was headed by Professor Gabriel Fordonski. There were two separate research departments: one dealt with legumes and root crops, the other with cereals and industrial plants. There was no division in teaching. The two-faculty structure was maintained until 2000, when a one-faculty organizational structure was introduced in the whole department.
As of October 20, 1998, Professor Gabriel Fordonski moved to a new Department he had created. The Department of Plant Production was depleted by 3 people, and it also gave the new Department some of the previously occupied premises. In the years 2006-2014 the Chair was headed by Prof. Dr. h.c. Wojciech s. Budzyński. In 2006, after the admission of new employees, the Chair took the name of Agrotechnolgy and Plant Production Management. In June 2014, after Professor Wojciech Budzyński resigned from the Chair due to reaching retirement age, the JM Rector entrusted Professor Krzysztof Jankowski, Ph.D., with the duties of Chair. At the moment of restructuring, the Department employed 1 full professor, 4 associate professors, 6 assistant professors and 2 engineering-technical staff.

 

The Department of Agribusiness and Environmental Economics was a continuation of the Centre for the Development of Technical Progress in Agriculture which was established as an independent interdepartmental unit in 1961. The Centre was staffed by 4 employees and was headed by Associate Professor Kazimierz Berliński (graduate number 1 of the Agricultural University in Olsztyn).
The task of the center was to establish cooperation with agricultural institutions and farmers. In May 1961 the Ministry of Higher Education established centers for the development of technical progress in agriculture (ORPTwR) at all agricultural universities in Poland. The activities of these centers developed in several directions: transferring scientific research results to economic and social institutions operating in the region; developing methods and cooperating with relevant institutions in improving engineering and technical personnel in agriculture; providing consultation on basic issues concerning the development of agriculture in the region.
By virtue of the Decree of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education dated August 18, 1967, all centers for the development of technical progress in agriculture at agricultural universities were transformed into the Plants for the Propagation of Progress in Agriculture (ZUPwR), which were interdepartmental organisational units.
The activities of the Department for the Dissemination of Progress in Agriculture were expanded to include two tasks: conducting research and analysis for the needs of agriculture in the region, implementing the completed scientific work into production, and disseminating progress; teaching classes in the dissemination of progress as part of the existing study plans and programs.
In 1983, the Department of Dissemination of Progress in Agriculture was transformed into the Department of Agricultural Advising and incorporated into an interdepartmental unit of the university - the Institute of Agricultural Education. The head of the Department of Agricultural Advisory until 1992 was Prof. Czesław Szafranek. The Department performed scientific and didactic functions in the field of agricultural consulting.
In 1992 the department was transformed into the Department of Agricultural Advising and incorporated into the Faculty of Agriculture. The head of the department became prof. dr hab. Aleksander Lewczuk. As a result of restructuring of the Faculty of Agriculture in 1997, the department was transformed into the Department of Agribusiness Consulting.
Extension of the research problems of the Chair with the issues of broadly defined agribusiness development resulted in changing the name of the Chair in 2000 to the Chair of Agribusiness, and in 2003 the Chair was transformed into the Chair of Agribusiness and Environmental Economics. Since January 01, 2010 the head of the department became dr hab. Wojciech Gotkiewicz, prof. UWM, who held this position until December 31, 2014. At the moment of restructuring, the Department employed 1 associate professor, 3 assistant professors and 1 engineering-technical employee.