Indira Gandhi Agricultural University, Raipur came into existence on 20 January 1987, after bifurcating from Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University, Jabalpur, for the tribals, scheduled caste and socio-economically backward communities of Chattisgarh.

The university has 4 Faculties, viz. Agriculture, Dairy technology, Veterinary and animal husbandry, and Agricultural engineering. The Agricultural College offers undergraduste, post-graduate and Ph. D. programmes in different subjects whereas the Veterinary and AH Faculty offers undergraduate and post-graduate programmes. The dairy Technology offers at present, undergraduate programme leading to B. Tech. (Dairy Technology) degree, whereas the Agricultural Engineering faculty offers P.G. programme leading to M. Tech degree in 4 disciples of Agricultural Engineering.

The Agriculture Faculty has 3 more constant Colleges at Bilaspur, Ambikapur and Jagdalpur, and two affiliated Agricultural Colleges at Dhamtari and Durg and one Horticultural College at Raipur.

The IGAU is well recognized for its rice research, especially rainfed rice research. It has a very strong collaboration with International Rice Research Institute Philippines in rice research, and Rockefeller Foundation for financial support.

It also has collaboration with CGMB, IPGRI etc. The university has a very rich germplasm of rice (22,500 accessions) next to IRRI in the world.

The university has projects like Institution-Village Linkage Programme front-line demonstrations and training programmes through the network of 4 KVKs. The extension directorate offers training programme in vocational courses like bee-keeping, mushroom cultivation, crop production, biotechnology etc. for the educated un-employed rural youth. The Agro-meteorological Advisory Service provides medium-range (5-day) forecast as weather conditions.