Food and Agriculture Law and Policy Research Guide for the Public: Web Sites / ELRS

The National Agricultural Library (NAL) is one of the world's richest collections devoted to agriculture and related sciences. Their Catalog contains over 3.5 million items. Topics include agricultural law, animals and livestock, farms and agricultural production systems, food and human nutrition, etc. Among the resources available are full-text reports, data, research, books, articles, and government information. Research tools include AGRICOLA; PubAg; Ag Data Commons; and Food Safety Research Projects Database; and the NAL Thesaurus..

The Agricultural Law Information Partnership is a collaboration between the National Agricultural Library, National Agricultural Law Center (NALC) and the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) at Vermont Law School. The Partnership supports the dissemination of agricultural and food law information to consumers, researchers and legal professionals. Agricultural law is defined broadly to include land-based agriculture, food and fiber production and systems, aquaculture and energy issues.

The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) website includes research and advocacy resources including Blueprint for a National Food Strategy, Farmland Access Legal Toolkit, the National Gleaning Project, the Healthy Food Policy Project, the Vermont Legal Food Hub, etc. as well as information related to VLS food and agriculture academic degrees and courses, and the CAFS Clinic.

FAOLEX is a comprehensive and up-to-date legislative and policy database on national laws, regulations and policies on food, agriculture and natural resources management. Users of FAOLEX have direct access to the abstracts and indexing information about each text, as well as to the full text of the legislation and policies contained in the database. Subjects include biodiversity, environment, fisheries, forest, and wildlife.

Farmers’ Legal Action Group (FLAG) is a non-profit law center that provides legal support and services to family farmers and rural communities. FLAG includes sections on advocacy, alternative energy, biotechnology and GMOs, food safety, disaster assistance, the farm bill, labor and employment, estate planning, farmland preservation, organic farming, etc. Resources include news, articles, cases, briefs, reports, presentations, and newsletters.

The Conservation Law Foundation's Legal Food Hub Resource Library provides guidance regarding common legal questions relating to Land Access & Use; Contracts; Insurance & Liability; Permits, Licenses & Regulations; Employment; Starting & Running a Business; Nonprofits and other legal issues.

The National Agricultural Law Center at the University of Arkansas School of Law is an independent, national agricultural and food law research and information center. The site includes full text of farm bills since 1933 and other historical agriculture legislation. The comprehensive reference library is sorted by topics: agricultural leases, biosecurity, agritourism, animal welfare and feeding operations, food labeling, local food systems, and pesticides. Resources include books, articles, Ab agricultural law bibliography, presentations, factsheets, newsletters, case law, regulations, legislative histories, committee reports, state and federal statutes, guidance documents, and links to Congressional Research Service Reports.

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is an alliance of grassroots organizations advocating for federal policy reform regarding food and agriculture. NSAC focuses on promoting safe and healthy agricultural practices and providing affordable food products. NSAC’s site provides access to publications such as the Grassroots Guide to Federal Farm and Food Programs. Additional resources include reports, Farm Bill materials, white papers, news, a blog, and press releases.