Agriculture & Environment
Agriculture & agronomy research: societies, funders, databases and data
Agriculture and agronomy research is the science of crop production and soil management, set inside the wider agricultural sciences: plant breeding, soil science, water management, weed science and entomology, agroecology, agricultural engineering and agricultural economics. Wikipedia describes agronomy as drawing on biology, chemistry, economics, ecology, earth science and genetics. The American Society of Agronomy was founded on 13 December 1907 and, with the Crop Science Society of America and the Soil Science Society of America, forms the Agricultural Tri-Societies. Its Agronomy Journal dates from 1908, and Crop Science began in 1961.
Funding and field infrastructure are largely public. In the United States, the USDA Agricultural Research Service organises its in-house work into National Programs, including Plant Genetic Resources, Genomics and Genetic Improvement (NP 301), Crop Production (NP 305), Soil and Air (NP 212) and Sustainable Agricultural Systems Research (NP 216). USDA NIFA, operating since 2009, funds extramural work; its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative has six Farm Bill priority areas and is authorized at $700 million a year. The Hatch Act of 1887 created the state agricultural experiment stations at land-grant colleges. Internationally, CGIAR, founded in 1971 with a research portfolio of just over US$900 million a year, and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, founded in 1929, anchor large public research networks.
The literature and data layer is shared across the field. AGRICOLA holds more than 4.1 million records, AGRIS more than 15 million, and CAB Abstracts covers 1973 onward. AGROVOC is the multilingual vocabulary used to index and link agricultural data, and FAOSTAT covers 245 countries with series from 1961. USDA-funded researchers must create a catalog record in Ag Data Commons. The specialisation hubs below cover breeding, genebanks, soils, crop protection, water, agroecology, rangelands, crop modelling, precision agriculture, economics and horticulture.
New to the field? What is Agriculture & Agronomy? →
Reviewed 5 November 2026 by CASRAI Editorial Board
- Agronomy (Wikipedia): definition, subdisciplines, organisations(read 5 November 2026)
- American Society of Agronomy (Wikipedia): founded 1907, Tri-Societies(read 5 November 2026)
- Agronomy Journal (Wikipedia): Wiley, founded 1908(read 5 November 2026)
- Crop Science journal (Wikipedia): founded 1961, CSSA(read 5 November 2026)
- USDA NIFA AFRI program page: priority areas, $700 million authorization(read 5 November 2026)
- National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Wikipedia)(read 5 November 2026)
- USDA ARS National Programs(read 5 November 2026)
- Hatch Act of 1887 (Wikipedia)(read 5 November 2026)
- CGIAR (Wikipedia): 1971, centres, US$900 million portfolio(read 5 November 2026)
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (Wikipedia)(read 5 November 2026)
- Ag Data Commons (USDA National Agricultural Library)(read 5 November 2026)
- FAOSTAT (Wikipedia): 245 countries, 1961 onward, 16 domains(read 5 November 2026)
- AGROVOC (Wikipedia): FAO multilingual vocabulary(read 5 November 2026)
- GODAN (Wikipedia): launched 2013(read 5 November 2026)
- National Agricultural Library (Wikipedia): AGRICOLA, NALT(read 5 November 2026)
- AGRIS (Wikipedia): FAO database, over 15 million records(read 5 November 2026)
- CAB Abstracts (Wikipedia): CABI, 1973 onward(read 5 November 2026)
- Agricultural science (Wikipedia): branches and institutions(read 5 November 2026)
Field at a glance
Journals
- Agronomy Journal
- Published by Wiley for the American Society of Agronomy; founded 1908 and renamed in 1949; covers soil science, crop science, agroclimatology, agronomic modeling and production agriculture.Website ↗
- Crop Science
- Official journal of the Crop Science Society of America, founded in 1961 and published with Wiley through ACSESS.Website ↗
Societies
- American Society of Agronomy (ASA)
- Founded 13 December 1907; about 8,000 members per Wikipedia; runs the Certified Crop Adviser and Certified Professional Agronomist credentials.Website ↗
- Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America
- Listed with ASA as the major US agronomy organisations; together the three are the Agricultural Tri-Societies.Website ↗ · Our guide →
Funders and programmes
- USDA NIFA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)
- The US competitive grants programme for agricultural sciences, with six Farm Bill priority areas; authorized at $700 million a year.Website ↗ · Our guide →
- USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
- Created by the 2008 farm bill, operating since 2009 in place of CSREES; supports more than 70 statutory grant programs, competitive and formula.Website ↗ · Our guide →
- USDA Agricultural Research Service National Programs
- The USDA in-house research arm; work is organised into National Programs such as NP 301 Plant Genetic Resources, NP 305 Crop Production and NP 212 Soil and Air.Website ↗
- Hatch Act of 1887 and the state agricultural experiment stations
- Enacted 2 March 1887; created experiment stations at land-grant colleges, funded by a federal formula with required state matching funds.Website ↗
- CGIAR
- Global partnership founded in 1971; about 15 centres, a research portfolio of just over US$900 million a year, and three Action Areas including Genetic Innovation.Website ↗
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
- Autonomous body founded 16 July 1929, headquartered in New Delhi, coordinating agricultural research and education in India.Website ↗
Archives, facilities and data
- Ag Data Commons
- USDA National Agricultural Library repository for USDA-funded research data; USDA-funded researchers must at least create a catalog record there.Website ↗ · Our guide →
- FAOSTAT
- FAO Statistics Division database covering 245 countries, with time series from 1961 for most domains and 16 domains such as production, trade and prices.Website ↗
Standards and formats
- AGROVOC
- FAO-coordinated multilingual controlled vocabulary; as of March 2024 over 42,000 concepts in more than 42 languages, an SKOS resource since 2009.Website ↗
- GODAN (Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition)
- Initiative launched in 2013 to make agriculture and nutrition data open and usable, building policy and institutional support for open data.Website ↗
Preprints and indexes
- AGRICOLA
- National Agricultural Library bibliographic database of agricultural literature: more than 4.1 million records, free on the web since 1998.Website ↗
- AGRIS
- FAO open database of agricultural science records; AGRIS 2.0 announced 13 June 2023; over 15 million records in 118+ languages as of February 2025.Website ↗
- CAB Abstracts
- CABI database covering agriculture, environment, veterinary science and applied economics from 1973; over 11 million records, available through CAB Direct.Website ↗
20 pages across 7 topic areas
Laboratory Operations & Safety
- Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF): Definition, Van Soest Method and Lab Analysis
What acid detergent fibre is, how the Van Soest/AOAC 973.18 method measures it, which acid is used, and how ADF links to lignin and cellulose.…
- Deep Water Culture (DWC) Hydroponics: How It Works and What to Monitor
Deep water culture (DWC) grows plants with roots in aerated nutrient solution. Compare what two extension sources say about aeration, pH, EC and monit…
- No-Till: Definition, Criteria and How It Differs from Conservation Tillage
No-till defined by the NRCS standard: in-row disturbance only, residue kept, STIR cap, and how it differs from FAO conservation agriculture.…
- Organic Agriculture: Standards, Methods & Testing
Organic agriculture is an ecological production system excluding synthetic inputs and emphasizing soil biology, rotations, and analytical residue test…
- Phytosanitary Certificate: What It Attests (ISPM 12)
A phytosanitary certificate attests that plant consignments meet import requirements. ISPM 12 issuer rules, model layout, re-export and replacement.…
- USDA APHIS Import Permits: VS, PPQ, and BRS Permit Types Explained
USDA APHIS import permits fall into three tracks: VS permits for animal pathogens and biologics, PPQ permits (including PPQ Form 526) for plant pests,…
- USDA Economic Research Service (ERS): Data and Research Guide
USDA Economic Research Service explained: mission, six topic areas, Food Access Research Atlas definitions, how to cite ERS data, and ERS versus ARS.…
Grants Management & Research Funding
- DAAD Scholarships: Research Grants, EPOS & How to Apply
DAAD (Germany’s academic exchange service) is not a single scholarship. This guide breaks down its main research-relevant funding lines -- Research Gr…
- List of Land-Grant Universities: 1862, 1890 and 1994
Every 1862, 1890 and 1994 land-grant institution from the NIFA directory, with a count reconciliation against CRS report R45897.…
- USDA ARS: What It Is and How Outside Researchers Partner With It
USDA ARS is the department's in-house research agency. Outside researchers engage it through CRADAs, MTAs, MTRAs and NDAs; it is separate from NIFA.…
- USDA NIFA AFRI: Program Areas and How to Submit
How USDA NIFA AFRI's six Farm Bill priority areas and three funding divisions fit together, plus the step-by-step process for submitting an applicatio…
Research Data Management
- Ag Data Commons: USDA's Repository for Agricultural Research Data
What Ag Data Commons is, what data types it hosts, how it fulfills USDA's public-access requirements, and how it fits among federal domain repositorie…
- Genebank Operations, Standards, and Access
A genebank is an ex situ repository conserving biological germplasm for research and breeding under FAO standards, MCPD metadata, and ITPGRFA access t…
- Plant Genetic Resources: Access, SMTAs, and Data
A practical guide to accessing plant genetic resources, navigating ITPGRFA Multilateral System agreements, and documenting germplasm with MCPD standar…
Research Methods & Statistics
- What Is Agricultural Science? Research Areas, Funding, and Career Paths
A thorough answer to "what is agricultural science," covering its major subfields, the USDA NIFA/NSF/FFAR funding landscape, common research methods,…
- What Is Agronomy and Crop Science? Fields, Methods, and Funding
Agronomy and crop science study how field crops are grown, bred, and managed. Here is the scope, the methods (especially field-trial design), the soci…
- What Is Soil Science? Pedology, Methods and Funding
Soil science studies how soils form, function and are managed. This guide covers pedology, soil physics, chemistry and biology, classification, method…
Scholarly Publishing
- National Agricultural Statistics Service Guide
National Agricultural Statistics Service guide: query Quick Stats, access Census of Agriculture datasets, and pull official USDA agricultural data via…
Scholarly Writing
- How to Write a USDA NIFA AFRI Project Narrative
A structural walkthrough of USDA NIFA's AFRI Project Narrative: required documents, the dual scientific-merit/agricultural-relevance framing, page lim…
Technology Transfer & Innovation
- Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) Compliance for International Material Transfer Agreements
How Nagoya Protocol PIC/MAT obligations and the EU's due-diligence regulation shape the ABS-specific clauses a technology transfer office must draft i…
