Sustainability
* Image courtesy of Getty Images
The world’s population is expected to reach 9 billion by the year 2050. Producing enough food for our growing planet may be the single greatest challenge the world will face. To meet this huge demand, farmers, ranchers, and suppliers must find ways to produce more food in a sustainably, environmentally friendly way.
ARS is dedicated to helping farmers address the increasing global demand for food, feed, fiber, and fuel while also sustaining the environmental and economic viability of agriculture. As a multidisciplinary practice and philosophy, sustainable agriculture unites researchers from a diverse range of scientific studies — microbiology, animal nutrition, soil science, plant physiology, and more — to the common goal of overcoming challenges related to productivity, profitability, energy efficiency, and natural resource management.
Here are some examples of our work:
In This Section

Precision Agriculture
Learn about this innovative approach that’s helping farmers grow their crops more efficiently – and sustainably.
Learn more
Turning Food into Fibers
Scientists invented a way to keep waste out of landfills, make products safer, and reduce dangerous emissions, all at the same time.
Learn more
Harnessing a Familiar Foe
ARS scientists have identified a possible tool to fight the invasion of the Brazilian peppertree.
Learn more
Flooding The Fields for Our Fowl Friends
Flooding fields may be a win-win for farmers and birds in the Mississippi Delta.
Learn more
Keeping Cranberries on the Holiday Dinner Menu
Weeds – moss in particular – are a big challenge to cranberry production.
Learn more
Little Grass on the Prairie
ARS researchers are improving soil through better farming practices.
Learn more
Let’s Get Smart About Climate Change and Farming
ARS developed climate smart farming systems by employing artificial intelligence to help farms become more sustainable.
Learn more
Protecting Water
ARS scientists in Arizona are exploring ways to use water more efficiently, by recycling wastewater to irrigate crops.
Learn more
Earth Day: Investing in Our Planet
Learn how ARS’s research and accomplishments promote sustainability, address climate change, and benefit the environment.
Learn more
Revolutionary New Freezing Method
A new method of freezing food without turning it rock solid could not only improve the quality, but save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, too.
Learn more
Environmentally Friendly Air Travel
ARS scientists are working to make a better jet biofuel and make air travel more sustainable.
Learn more
Fighting Cranberry Pests
Tiny, wormlike organisms called nematodes that attack cranberry pests could offer a natural alternative to using insecticides.
Learn more
Reducing Herbicide Spraying
ARS researchers are exploring using camera-mounted drones to reduce herbicide spraying where and when it’s not needed.
Learn more
Bacteria Doing Good on Earth and in Space!
ARS scientists aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty while researching ways to manage manure and protect water resources.
Learn more
Readying Crops and People for Climate Change
A high-tech facility called SoyFACE allows for open-air field tests simulating greenhouse gases conditions predicted for 2050.
Learn more
Be a Pro
ARS scientists helped to develop Irrigator Pro, an agricultural decision support tool that helps farmers and growers schedule irrigation.
Learn more
Eating Our Way to Fire Mitigation
ARS researchers have developed innovative methods to reduce fires exacerbated by highly flammable grasses.
Learn more
Hammer-time
The "Slide Hammer Seeder” can efficiently seed a variety of small-seeded herbs and vegetables.
Learn more
Hidden Valley Fescue
ARS scientists released “Hidden Valley” meadow fescue, a type of flowering grass that flourishes across the midwestern U.S.
Learn more
New Fish in the Water
ARS researchers have bred an improved salmon strain and shared the eggs with commercial fish farms.
Learn more
This is Exhausting
An innovative method to control weed growth by simply using engine exhaust heat produced by a walk-behind tractor’s engine.
Learn more
Yakety Yak
ARS researchers and their partners have developed the most complete genome sequence to date for yak and Scottish Highland cattle.
Learn more
Rejuvenating Soil with Biochar
Scientists examining biochar's potential to rejuvenate the soil, especially in degraded land areas like mining sites.
Learn more
Matching Milkweeds to Monarchs
Studies of milkweed species in critical breeding areas show that female monarch butterflies prefer laying their eggs on certain species.
Learn more
Sustainable Aquaculture
Scientists are experimenting with alfalfa as an alternative to using fishmeal in aquaculture feeds given to "farm-raised" fish.
Learn more
A “Burning” Ecological Question
When it comes to restoring rangeland habitats, there is no replacement for "prescribed fire," according to ARS ecologists.
Learn more
Giving the Home Team an Advantage
ARS scientists in Burns, OR are giving native plants – and the ecosystems they support – a helping hand by combatting invasive plants.
Learn more
Saving Seeds for the Future
ARS scientists are helping to preserve our food crops by storing the seeds and other parts of thousands of plants.
Learn more
Finding Natural Enemies
ARS scientists study natural enemies with potential to biologically control invasive plants.
Learn more
Increasing Photosynthesis
ARS scientists are working to increase the photosynthetic ability of food and bioenergy crops.
Learn more
Managing Forage and Grazing Lands
ARS scientists are exploring sustainable approaches to managing forage and grazing lands.
Learn more
Managing Watersheds
ARS is developing integrated approaches to managing crop, animal and watershed systems to reduce environmental risk.
Learn more
Protecting Natural Resources
ARS is protecting natural resources through sustainable agricultural systems.
Learn more
Check Out Our Cool Map
Use our interactive map to find out what revolutionary research is being conducted in your state.
Take a Look