Food and Agriculture Law and Policy Research

Food and agriculture law and policy research involves delving into a variety of topics, including water quality and resources, land use, biotechnology, energy, health law, farm animals, agricultural business, food labeling, agritourism, food labeling, and climate change. Administrative law at both the federal and state level are especially important.

There are numerous ways to begin your research, depending on the issue at hand, the purpose of the research, and your knowledge and skills as a researcher. It is often best to start with secondary sources, such as books, journal articles, and news articles, which provide context on the subject you are researching as well as references to primary law. There are also numerous websites that provide background information and links to other resources. Take the time to develop an effective research strategy by brainstorming search terms and making a preliminary list of potentially useful primary and secondary sources. Also, be sure to keep track of your research so you know what you have already reviewed and what you eventually want to use.

The challenge is to locate relevant information in a timely and effective manner. This guide will lead you to many useful resources.

Research into agricultural or food law is rarely restricted to a single topic. Starting broad is a good idea at the beginning of your research. But the sooner you can narrow your search terms, the quicker you’ll begin to find meaningful sources related to your topic.

Some suggested search terms are noted below. Synonyms are also helpful.

• Agricultural _____: conservation or ecology or industries or laborers or innovation or laws or legislation or pollution or productivity 
• Agroforestry
• Animal _____: law or welfare or feeding (or corn or soy or grain or antibiotics) or industry
• Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)
• Factory farms
• Chickens or Broilers or Layers or Chicks
• Swine or Hogs or Pigs or Sows or Boars
• Gestation crates or Confinement
• De-beaking or De-horning
• Farm _____: bill or law or markets or animals or land or produce
• Farmers or Farmers markets
• Food _____: law or regulation or justice or labeling adulteration or recalls or fraud or quality or supply or safety or systems or standards
• Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)
• Land use or Rural 
• Livestock or Cattle or Cow or Calf
• Organic farming
• Sustainable agriculture
• Water in agriculture or Agricultural water supply
• Food and agriculture terms along with issues of interest, such as Labor, Climate change, Equity, Environmental justice,  Animal law, Energy, Environmental health, Waste, or Fraud
• Abbreviations of laws, such as FSMA, SHPA, or PPIA 

The National Agricultural Library Thesaurus may also be helpful.