College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Feed Communities, Build a Sustainable Tomorrow, Steward a Healthy Planet, Serve Public Purpose.
Why Agriculture and Natural Resources
Built on sound science, innovative research and Maryland pride, the University of Maryland’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) tackles some of society’s greatest challenges—feeding and nourishing communities, building a sustainable tomorrow and stewarding a healthy planet.
- We embody the university’s land-grant mission: advancing education, research innovation and community partnerships to improve lives across Maryland and beyond.
- We know that food production and natural resource management are inseparable. One need only look at our state to see the importance of this mindset with agriculture as our number one industry, as well as with the largest estuary in the country—the Chesapeake Bay—under our stewardship.
- With close proximity to the influence of Washington, D.C., AGNR boasts some of the top programs in the nation. Disease prevention, food insecurity and environmental health are at the forefront of AGNR’s work. Now is the time to invest in these critical areas to preserve our planet and the lives and livelihoods of the global population.
Our Momentum
#1
university in the United States for green and sustainable science and technology
#17
undergraduate ecological technology design program
#21
undergraduate food science program
Why now
The challenges facing the planet are urgent and we need tomorrow's trailblazers to build a resilient, sustainable tomorrow. Through AGNR’s academics and research, our students are finding solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change, secure safe and nutritious food for all and improve communities for healthier and happier lives. These are critical issues for Maryland, the country and the world. Forward: the University of Maryland Campaign for the Fearless is capitalizing on our momentum as a nationally ranked program at a world-class university to raise support for:
- Expanding access to education and research opportunities for future agricultural and environmental leaders.
- Accelerating innovations that protect our most vital resources—food, water, land and health.
- Enabling AGNR to respond rapidly to emerging challenges affecting Maryland, the nation and the world.
Together, we are moving Forward to a future where science fuels discovery, communities flourish and sustainability is at the heart of everything we grow.
We’re dedicated to creating educational opportunities to position the next generation of agricultural leaders to build resilient food systems in America. We want our students to take what they’ve learned to improve lives around the globe.
Wendy Powers
Dean, The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
We are reimagining what it means to learn at Maryland.
Through a new “grand challenge track,” created in partnership with the private sector, students will dedicate increasing credits each year to experiential, team-based problem solving. Working side by side with classmates and industry leaders, they will design applied solutions to urgent statewide issues—learning not just how to think critically, but how to act boldly.
Transform the Student Experience By Offering Credit-Based Experiential Learning and Problem Solving Programming
The Farming of the Future Technology and Innovation Complex will be a four-plus-acre hub where students and faculty engage in hands-on, real-world animal and plant production, explore the latest agricultural technologies, and design solutions for the challenges of tomorrow.
It will showcase cutting-edge advances such as robotic milking and harvesting, precision agriculture to protect watersheds or precisely meet nutritional needs of animals or plants, remote sensing of oysterbed health, remote control of plant and animal environments, high-throughput plant phenotyping, and wearable technologies to monitor animal performance.
This complex will elevate the educational experience for AGNR students as well as students from other disciplines.
Farming of the Future Technology and Innovation Complex
We’re building something extraordinary for Maryland and beyond.
Through a powerful public-private partnership, we are launching a Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Center of Excellence—a hub for research, hands-on training and community outreach.
By bringing together the strengths of our college, our campus and partners across federal, state and private sectors, the Center will become a model for how collaboration drives innovation. Together, we will help food and agriculture production thrive sustainably while protecting the natural resources that are vital to Maryland and the nation.
Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Center of Excellence
Leaders & Champions
A standout alum, Donald De Alwis ‘20, while in medical school at UMD Baltimore, leveraged his passion for a more carbon-free world to launch the first Maryland chapter of Medical Students for a Sustainable Future.
Gabriel Acevedo ’23, a Merit Scholar, blazes a unique path, setting his sights on helping Caribbean islanders combat the effects of an unpredictable climate.
A slow-moving threat looms in our future: the challenge of maintaining a sustainable, resilient agricultural system. AGNR’s research and Extension take a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to that challenge.
Donor Marea Hatziolos establishes a new fund for student travel, enabling them to engage in information exchange directly with leading researchers and decision makers in order to confront global challenges.