U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the country's largest conservation agency, encouraging voluntary efforts to protect soil, water, and wildlife on the 70 percent of America 's lands that are in private hands. USDA is also the steward of our nation's 192 million acres of national forests and rangelands.

Council on Sustainable Development - The Council is the forum for policy and program development, implementation, and evaluation on issues, and provides the framework and mechanism for integration across mission areas and program activities such as research, management, technical assistance, education, and grant and loan delivery.

National Agroforestry Center - A partnership of the Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to advance the science and practice of agroforestry in the U.S. and targeted countries through technology exchange, practitioner training in the application of agroforestry technologies, and by developing working partnerships with organizations involved in agroforestry technologies worldwide.

National Conservation Buffer Initiative – Assists landowners in installing 2 million miles of conservation buffers.

National Resources Inventory (NRI) - The NRI program is the Federal Government's principal source of information on the status, condition, and trends of soil, water, and related resources in the United States.

Economics and Statistics System - Internet site established to provide worldwide access to agricultural data.

Sustainable Development – Provides the guiding principles for USDA Sustainable Development initiatives and the USDA Policy Statement on Sustainable Development.

Agricultural Research Service  - ARS is the USDA’s main in-house scientific research agency. Its main areas of work are: protecting crops and livestock from pests and disease, improving the quality and safety of agricultural products, nutrition for people, sustaining soil and other natural resources, ensuring profitability for farmers and processors, keeping costs down for consumers, and providing research support to other federal agencies.

ARS Office of International Research Programs (OIRP) – ARS also supports research projects internationally.

Datasets – ARS provides access to biological datasets that are maintained by the Agency or by ARS in cooperation with other organizations. Some of the datasets available are:

• Maize Genome Database
• SoyBase
• Animal Genetic Map Data on Cattle, Swine and Sheep
• GrainGenes, National Genetic Resources Program (NGRP)
• Experimental Watersheds
• Water Database
• Systematic Botany & Mycology Laboratory
• Systematic Entomology Laboratory

National Agricultural Library (NAL) – Part of the ARS, it serves as a National Library of the United States for agricultural information, and as the Library of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is also responsible for maintaining the National Invasive Species Council's Website, http://www.invasivespecies.gov. Relevant information centers and resources include the following:

• Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC)
• Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC)
• Biotechnology
• Farmland Information Center
• Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC)
• Plant Genome
• Preservation Program
• Rare and Special Collections
• Rural Information Center (RIC)
• Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN)
• Technology Transfer Information Center (TTIC)
• Water Quality Information Center (WQIC)

For a full list visit http://www.nal.usda.gov/services.htm.

Research Programs – ARS conducts more than 1,200 research projects, organized into 22 National Programs, to solve problems in crop and livestock production and protection, human nutrition, and the interaction of agriculture and the environment.

Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN) - provides pre-publication notices of recent research results from the ARS.   Searchable in the areas of food and nutrition, crops and livestock, natural resources, and industrial products and technology.

Animal and Plant Health inspection Service (APHIS)   - Responsible for protecting and promoting U.S. agricultural health, administering the Animal Welfare Act, and carrying out wildlife damage management activities.

• Native American Working Group (ANAWG) - ANAWG advises APHIS's top management about ways to enhance program delivery and accessibility to tribes, intertribal committees, and related organizations, such as the Intertribal Agriculture Council.
• Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) - regulates the field testing, movement, and importation of genetically engineered (GE) organisms that are known to be, or could be plant pests.
  • BRS International Activities - Regulatory international activities of BRS can be divided into two main functions— standard setting and capacity building. In fulfilling both of these functions, BRS supports its sister agencies which are directly involved in trade activities by providing the technical and scientific expertise of it regulatory team.

• Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) - APHIS-PPQ safeguards agriculture and natural resources from the risks associated with the entry, establishment, or spread of animal and plant pests and noxious weeds.
• APHIS Wildlife Services – Specializes on solving conflicts between wildlife and society.

Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES)  - CSREES mission is to advance knowledge for agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being, and communities by supporting research, education, and extension programs. CSREES doesn't perform actual research, education, and extension but rather helps fund it at the state and local level and provides program leadership in these areas.

CSREES Emphasis Areas - CSREES portfolio is organized in a series of National Emphasis Areas which include:

• Agricultural & Food Biosecurity
• Agricultural Systems
• Animals & Animal Products
• Biotechnology & Genomics
• Economics & Commerce
• Natural Resources & Environment
• Pest Management
• Plants & Plant Products
• Technology & Engineering

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program - focuses on the development of information and the encouragement of the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices through the provision of competitive grant funds for research, education, extension, and training.

Economic Research Service (ERS)  - ERS is the main source of economic information and research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Its objective is to inform and enhance public and private decision-making on economic and policy issues related to agriculture, food, natural resources, and rural development.

ERS Harmony Between Agriculture and the Environment Research – One of the 5 research emphasis areas of ERS, it studies the links between farm economics and the use of natural resources. Specific research is divided into the following:

• Agricultural biotechnology
• Agricultural chemicals and production technology
• Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS)
• Conservation and environmental policy
• Farm policy, farm households and the rural economy
• Global climate change
• Global resources and productivity
• Invasive species management
• Irrigation and water use
• Land use, value, and management
• Organic farming and marketing

Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators (AREI) Database and Mapping Tool - an interactive mapping and database access tool that will eventually access numerous agricultural resources and environmental indicators data sets.

Farm Service Agency (FSA)  - FSA’s mission is to stabilize farm income, help farmers conserve land and water resources, provide credit to new or disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, and help farm operations recover from the effects of disaster.

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) - a voluntary program that offers long-term rental payments and cost share assistance to farmers establishing permanent vegetative cover on environmentally sensitive crop land.   CRP is credited with reducing cropland soil erosion by 700 million tons per year, a reduction of 22 percent.

National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)  - NASS serves the basic agricultural and rural data needs of the country by providing objective, important and accurate statistical information and services to farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses and public officials.

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)   - NRCS assists owners of private land with conserving their soil, water, and other natural resources. Local, state and federal agencies and policymakers also rely on the agency’s expertise and delivery of technical assistance based on sound science and suited to a customer's specific needs.

Financial Assistance Programs – The various NRCS conservation programs provide environmental, societal, financial, and technical benefits that include both on-site benefits and off-site benefits. The programs are:

• Agricultural Management Assistance - provides cost share assistance to agricultural producers to voluntarily address issues such as water management, water quality, and erosion control by incorporating conservation into their farming operations.
• Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) - voluntary program intended to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies while leveraging Federal investment in environmental enhancement and protection, in conjunction with agricultural production.
• Conservation Partnership Initiative (CPI) - voluntary program established to foster conservation partnerships that focus technical and financial resources on conservation priorities in watersheds of special significance and other geographic areas of environmental sensitivity. 
• Conservation Security Program (CSP) - a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to promote the conservation and improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plant and animal life, and other conservation purposes on Tribal and private working lands.
• Resource Conservation and Development - the objective of this program is to accelerate the conservation, development and utilization of natural resources, improve the general level of economic activity, and to enhance the environment and standard of living in designated RC&D areas.
• Soil and Water Conservation Assistance - Soil and Water Conservation Assistance (SWCA) provides cost share and incentive payments to farmers and ranchers to voluntarily address threats to soil, water, and related natural resources, including grazing land, wetlands, and wildlife habitat.
• Environmental Quality Incentives Program - a voluntary conservation program for farmers and ranchers that promotes agricultural production and environmental quality as compatible national goals. EQIP offers financial and technical help to assist eligible participants install or implement structural and management practices on eligible agricultural land.
• Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) - a voluntary program offering landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance grasslands on their property.
• Wetlands Reserve Program - a voluntary program offering landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands on their property. 
• Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program - voluntary program for people who want to develop and improve wildlife habitat primarily on private land.
• Conservation Technical Assistance - provides voluntary conservation technical assistance to land-users, communities, units of state and local government, and other Federal agencies in planning and implementing conservation systems.
• Tribal Government Assistance - NRCS makes special efforts to provide conservation programs services to American Indians and Alaska Natives.
• Conservation and Area wide Planning - provides conservation planning and technical assistance to clients (individuals, groups, and units of government) to protect, conserve, and enhance natural resources (soil, water, air, plants, and animals) within their related social and economic interests.

NRCS International Programs

• NRCS Scientific Cooperation Program - The goal of this program is to improve the capacity for wise use of natural resources in this country and in the exchange country.                 
• International Visitors Program - Foreign officials are given opportunities to gain a better understanding of ecosystem-based assistance by observing and discussing conservation programs in the U.S. , in order to transfer applicable methods back to their home countries.