Anowar Islam has dedicated his career to improving lands for growing food to feed the growing world’s population through innovative and sustainable research programs.
Islam, a longtime agronomist, joined New Mexico State University in September 2023 to helm the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences and the Department of Extension Plant Sciences in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. His academic background includes stints at universities in Bangladesh, Australia, Japan, Oklahoma, Canada and Wyoming, where he served nearly 15 years as a faculty member and Extension specialist at the University of Wyoming.
For Islam, becoming an Aggie marks a fitting evolution in a career that essentially began when he first learned about gardening from his mother. He carried a deep interest in growing plants throughout his childhood, and years, he later earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture in 1990. Over the following decade, he completed a master’s degree in soil science and a Ph.D. in agronomy.
“My mother grew her own fruits and vegetables – and she inspired me to learn new ways to improve our lands and grow food with limited resources,” he said.
Islam’s research interests include germplasm search and evaluation for selection/cultivar development; best management practices for profitable and sustainable forage crop production; and forage-based cropping systems, among other areas.
Islam sees opportunities and challenges in New Mexico. His mission is
to bring his academic and Extension departments to the forefront of creating efficient systems to grow food under stressful environments.
“We have plenty of resources in New Mexico, but we must utilize them with minimal water,” he said. “That’s where we will use the expertise we have in our departments. Our plant scientists, horticulturalists, geneticists, and soil and environmental scientists will lead the way in developing innovative cropping systems for semi-arid lands.”
This story was originally published in the fall 2024 issue of ACES Magazine. For more stories, visit https://nmsu.news/aces-magazine-fall-2024.
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CUTLINE: As head of NMSU’s Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences and Department of Extension Plant Sciences, Anowar Islam envisions creating efficient cropping systems.