Government of India with the assistance of the State Government established the biggest multi-campus university at Jabalpur, in the heart of India, named after the architect of modern India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru based on the recommendations of Radhakrishnan Commission (1949) on the concept of Establishment of Agricultural University. An approach was envisaged to narrowed down the gap between the experts and farmers through Joint Indo-American Team on Agricultural Research and Education in 1954-55 and 1959-60 on the patterns of Land Grant Colleges of USA. On October 2, 1964, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (JNKVV) was inaugurated by the then Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Smt. Indira Gandhi.
The Central Administrative Office of the University is located about 7 km North of Jabalpur town on National Highway No. 7. The University was created by an act of Madhya Pradesh Legislature passed in 1963.The University had to part with the creation of sister universities Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (IGKV) at Raipur in 1987, Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindhia Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Gwalior in 2008 and Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur in 2009.At present, the University holds an area of about 1544 ha of land.