In 2022, U.S. households spent an average of $9,343 on food, equating to approximately 13% of annual household budgets (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022). U.S. farm products contribute roughly $164.7 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) annually, which equates to approximately 5% of total U.S. GDP. The number of farms in the United States has steadily decreased since the 1970s, with the amount of farmland in the U.S. also on a downward trend, with 22 million fewer acres in production from 2012 to 2022 with only 1% of the U.S. population being primary farm owners or operators (USDA ERS, 2023). However, the global population is expected to increase to 9.7 billion in 2050, a more than 20% increase in nearly 25 years (United Nations, n.d.). Less land produces more commodities to provide for a growing global population. 

In the past 20 years, 13 states have put forward 19 ballot initiatives or legislative bills directly addressing food and animal welfare (Hopkins et al., 2022). These initiatives addressed using gestation crates in hogs and laying hen facilities. Genetically engineered foods saw so much attention in state governments that the federal government passed a national disclosure standard for such products to assist in clarity and truth in labeling on the topic (Bovay & Alston, 2018). As technology use in Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) increases to meet global demands and adjust for a changing climate, such legislative action will continue to impact production methods, trade, and supply chain economics. From the grocery aisle to the voting booth, decisions that impact agriculture are made by people who need an applicable understanding of agricultural production. 

While AFNR might not be the largest sector of the U.S. economy, this vital industry provides for our daily needs. Agriculture and associated industries are expected to have 59,400 openings annually through 2025. Most (61%) of these positions will be filled with new college graduates with agriculture, food, or natural resources degrees; however, the remaining 39% will be filled by individuals who have obtained degrees in allied fields such as biology, engineering, or accounting (Fernandez et al., 2020). 

Whether in the grocery aisle, voting booth, as neighbors, or in career decision-making, daily life requires decision-making in AFNR. The concept of agricultural literacy was initially published in 1988 by the National Research Council. The council indicated agriculture was too essential to be taught only to those enrolled in vocational agriculture programs and that all Americans needed an understanding of the economic, social, and environmental significance of the ways agriculture, food, and natural resources affected their daily living (National Research Council, 1988). More recently, the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE) published the organization’s research values. One of the nine values indicates the need for the public to be informed decision-makers about AFNR topics. The organization advises that research about informal, non-formal, and formal education efforts must inform stakeholders about issues and practices in advancing human knowledge in this area (AAAE, 2023). Additionally, AAAE indicates that enhancing environmental health and fostering healthy living are the organization's research values, as research in these topics is closely associated with the general public’s understanding and application of knowledge about AFNR topics.

Nationally, the leading agricultural literacy outreach program is Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC), which has a presence in 40 states, one territory, and the District of Columbia (2022 AITC Program Report, 2022). Stakeholders in the agricultural industry primarily support AITC. In a recent survey of states, nearly half (49%) reported that their entire budget came from private, agriculture-related organizations or donors, and 41% reported a combination of state and private money, signaling financial support for agricultural literacy at a grassroots level (Spielmaker, 2018). Stakeholders have supported agricultural literacy programs in the hope that people (primarily youth) will understand the necessity of agriculture, value agricultural production, and support agricultural science that ensures an affordable, safe, abundant, high-quality food system.

AITC and similar agricultural literacy efforts have developed and implemented programs over the last 30 years. However, there has been limited research to detect program effectiveness or the effects of interventions on baseline knowledge, perceptions, or attitudes concerning agricultural literacy concepts and agriculture’s relationship to the environment, plants, and animals for food and fiber use, lifestyle, technology, and the economy. This multistate research project seeks to measure agricultural literacy knowledge, perceptions and attitudes, and conduct program or intervention evaluations to assess whether programming has made progress toward the goal of an agriculturally literate populace that “understands and can communicate the source and value of agriculture as it affects our quality of life” (“National Agriculture in the Classroom,” 2013).

Few nationwide studies have been published related to understanding the effectiveness of agricultural literacy interventions or measuring the agricultural literacy of specific populations.  Previous agricultural literacy research has been limited to a particular locale, population, or content area. This multistate approach will provide validated instruments for measurement and increase external validity. This proposal's objectives require a coordinated, multistate approach to research that results in generalizable conclusions. The information gathered will provide programming staff and stakeholders solid data for future program planning to achieve agricultural literacy outcomes.

A coordinated agricultural literacy research effort has been developed and needs to be maintained. The COVID-19 pandemic created one of the most significant disruptions in societal history, particularly within education systems worldwide (United Nations, 2020). Society’s values shifted due to the pandemic (Daniel et al., 2022). Science literacy experts suggested that identifying common values is paramount to building trust in communication about complex scientific topics (Besley & Dudo, 2022). Furthermore, many agricultural literacy interventions’ audiences are K-12 classrooms or teachers. Further research is needed to understand how society’s shifting values and school structures in a post-pandemic world have affected knowledge, attitudes, skills, behaviors, and practices related to agriculture, food, and natural resources.