Agricultural Institute of Republic of Srpska - Banja Luka was founded on the 3rd July 1947th under the name Agricultural Department. The Institute has its own office buildings and administrative buildings, as well as modern and functionally equipped laboratories for research work, so that Institute could be able to follow the current trends of scientific research in agriculture. In addition, the Institute owns its own land surface and associated equipment for carrying out trials and seed production, as well as his own finishing center.

In order to work efficiently, the activities of the Institute are defined through the work of nine Departments, namely: Department for cereals, Department for maize, Department for industrial plants, Department for forage crops, Department for vegetable crops, Department for pomology and viticulture, Department for plant protection, seed science and biotechnology, Department for agroecology and Department for animal production.

The Institute carries out basic, applied and development research in the field of agriculture that are of general interest, or of strategic importance for the Republic of Srpska.

The Institute is a respectable scientific institution with the longest experience in academic research in the Republic of Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Institute currently has 92 employees, of which seven are PhDs, eight are magisters, one is master and 24 graduate engineers. In the last three years the Institute has employed 16 young graduate engineers. Experimental fields and laboratories of the Institute are used for training and performance practice for students of the Agricultural Faculty in Banja Luka. In recent years, foreign students (international trade), as well as domestic and foreign graduate students and PhD students, were working their theses, master theses and doctoral dissertations in various fields of agriculture at the Institute. Thus, the Institute makes a significant contribution to the development of science in agriculture in the Republic of Srpska.

The Institute has its own varieties of cereals, forage crops, industrial crops, vegetables and hybrid corn. So far, the Institute recognized 14 varieties of wheat, one barley, two cultivars of triticale, a cultivar of rye, four varieties of soya bean, four varieties of alfalfa, two varieties of smiljka, four varieties of grass, one variety of pea, a variety of peppers and eight hybrids of maize. The Institute conducts research in many varieties and indigenous populations.
The Institute has a dedicated machinery and highly trained personnel for the experimental field research and the production of higher categories of seeds of crop plants.

Advanced laboratories of the Department for agrochemistry and agroecology and Department for plant protection, seed science and biotechnology are the basis for inclusion of the Institute in European projects to preserve the environment and healthy food.

The Institute has its own collection of plant genes which keeps and maintains a large number of indigenous varieties and old, different populations, new varieties and hybrids of cultivated plants. Gene collection are sources of genes that are essential to create new varieties and hybrids, progress in breeding and creating new varieties depends on wealth of gene collection.

Scientific research activities of the Institute is carried out through basic research, applied research and experimental development. These activities are conducted in order to:

• Efficient selection and breeding of cereals, maize, fodder, industrial crops, vegetable and fruit crops in the Republic of Srpska.
• Determining the genetic potential of cultivars, hybrids and populations from gen collection. Emphasis is on research that should provide answers to specific targets of selection and breeding (drought resistance, tolerance to plant diseases, etc.).
• Seeking the best technology for growing each variety, and their transfer to the final user. To reach the optimal technology for each variety it is necessary to implement multi-year field study through which we should determine the adaptability and stability of varieties, the genetic variance, etc.
• Finding optimal ways of using and repairing of soil fertility through the application of agro and irrigation measures.
• Proper nutrition of crops based on soil analysis and plant material, in order to achieve high, stable yield and quality with the use of cost-effectiveness and environmental protection.
• Finding the optimal system of organic farming.
• Effective protection of plants. Selection of tolerant genotypes, determining the interaction between pathogens and cultivars, examine the effects of pesticides, are just some of the many activities in this field.
• Improvement of the selection-breeding work in animal husbandry, feed production for livestock, studies of nutritive value and safety of food for livestock.

cientific research activities of the Institute is the basis for effective technical assistance to agricultural producers and improving overall agricultural production of the Republic of Srpska. Professional activities of the Institute is not possible to fully delineate the scientific research, as well as through professional activities come to certain conclusions which have significance for science.

The largest part of the professional activities of the Institute in conjunction with the regular activities and responsibilities of the Ministry of agriculture, forestry and water management. Institute has been empowered by the aforementioned ministry to perform multiple control functions that are of special importance for the Republic of Srpska. Basic professional activities of the Institute are:
• Reproduction and maintenance of a high standard of agricultural plants seeds of its own creation,
• Testing of varieties and hybrids of the leading breeding and seed companies in order to determine their production values in our environmental conditions,
• Soil fertility control, design and monitoring of agro and watering,
• Preparation of plans of agricultural land in GIS,
• Analysis of nitrogen content in soil (N min) and the plant in the proper top dressing nitrogen fertilization of agricultural crops,
• Foliar analysis for proper nutrition of orchards during the growing season,
• The quality control of organic and mineral fertilizers and water,
• Control of nutritive value of feed for livestock,
• Control the safety of food for livestock,
• Quality control of seeds and planting material,
• Health testing of live plants, parts of plants and plant products,
• Health control seeds, seedlings and planting material of plants,
• Test biological efficacy of pesticides,
• Testing physical and chemical properties of pesticides,
• Analysis and testing of the presence of pesticide residues in live plants, parts of plants and plant products, which are used as food intended for human consumption and domestic animals,
• Provide technical assistance to producers take measures to prevent spread, control and eradication of the causal agent of plant diseases, pests and weeds,
• Health testing of the seeds in internal trade and traffic across the borders of the Republic of Srpska,
• Zoning varieties and hybrids of agricultural plants to different environmental conditions and the Republic of Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with special reference to climate change,
• Setting exact experiment and demonstration in order to examine the contemporary-Menih technology solutions in agriculture and their application in practice,
• Education of farmers, agricultural professionals and consumers of agricultural products, and
• Development of investment programs, projects and studies in the field of agriculture.

In order to improve the agriculture of the Republic of Srpska, along with continued financial support from the Government of the Republic of Srpska, the Institute intends in future to realize the following activities:

• Upgrade and update existing digital database of land resources of the Republic of Srpska and municipal level, which is intended for power structures as relevant basis for making strategic decisions in the process of land use and revitalization and development of agriculture. This would provide a new information flow, primarily between the Ministry of agriculture, forestry and water management of Republic of Srpska, Institute, Agency for the provision of consultancy services in agriculture of Government of Republic of Srpska, which would significantly increase the efficiency of operation of key institutions in the Republic of Srpska agriculture. In addition, all necessary information on land resources would be in one place, updated by FAO methodology recognized in any currently available to the Ministry of agriculture, forestry and water management of Republic of Srpska;
• Continuous production of long-term, short-term and annual programs that will encourage greater use of available agricultural land in food production;
• Development of long-term, short-term and annual strategic application of agro and hydromeliorative measures to improve the physical and chemical properties of soil and improving its natural fertility at a higher level;
• Reduction of seed imports of goods into the Republic of Serbian through continuous research work on selection and breeding, to continue creating varieties of wheat, soybeans, forage crops and corn. Own seed is of strategic importance for the Republic of Srpska, especially during large scale disasters, crises, wars and so on;
• Establish ongoing monitoring and development programs relating to the influence of conventional production on the environment and human health, in accordance with international standards and protocols of the European Union;
• Application of agricultural research in crop production (planting density, sowing date, dosage, type and mode of application of fertilizers, pesticide testing and etc.) with the aim of finding the optimal technology for individual cultivars and hybrids (or sites). The results of these studies should contribute to reducing production costs and increase efficiency in the general manufacturing;
• Production and control of food for the sick and elderly members of our society (diabetics, kidney patients, people with celiac disease, etc.) in order to repair the quality of life. Several pilot projects of the Institute in this field, has attracted great interest of experts in the field of medicine and manufacturing industries;
• The quality control of agricultural products, pesticides, fertilizers, animal feed, seed commodities and other goods entering from abroad over the border into our country with the use of laboratory services of the Institute, through the Laboratory for Plant Protection, Seed testing Laboratory, the Laboratory for Agrochemistry and Agroecology and Laboratory for livestock food analysis, which are standardized according to EU rules, the issuance of regular reports to the competent ministries, the Inspectorate of the Republic of Srpska and other institutions of the Republic of Srpska. This is the only model for the release of goods from the Republic of Srpska to the EU market, as well as checking the correctness and quality of imported goods into the Republic of Srpska;
• Development of revitalization for years neglected the production of industrial crops in the Republic of Srpska, what led the Republic of Srpska to almost total dependence on imports. Within the Institute has been intensively working on developing scientific research projects to improve conditions in this area, whose realization depends on the ministries and the assistance of the EU. These programs are the condition for entering our country in the EU;
• Introduction of new, cleaner technology modeled on the EU (biodiesel, biological gas, natural fibers, use of wind energy, etc.), which is based on increased production of industrial crops and detailed monitoring of climate changes and their impact on agriculture;
• Development Institute and strengthen cooperation with other academic research institutions around the world (especially from EU countries).

n the realization of projects Institute includes researchers and experts from other scientific, educational and production institutions, and as well as scientific staff of the Institute actively participates in research projects on which the holders are other institutions. The results of scientific and research activities of the Institute provide a significant contribution to agricultural development as indicated by the fact that some cultivars of major field crops are sown in commercial production in the Republic of Srpska.