FAO AGRIS, maintained by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), offers free access to more than 16 million bibliographic records in over 250 languages. As one of the world’s most comprehensive agricultural knowledge platforms, mastering effective search strategies is essential. This guide summarises the key techniques presented during the “Mastering FAO AGRIS: How to Search Smarter” webinar held in November 2025, helping users retrieve relevant information more efficiently.

Getting Started with Simple Search

The simple search bar allows users to enter keywords, phrases, author names, or titles. Search results highlight matching terms to help users quickly scan content. Users can refine these results using filters such as full-text availability, publication date, data provider, provider country, language, and AGROVOC keywords. 

Using Boolean Operators for Precision

The boolean operators help you refine your searches to find exactly what you're looking for. The AND operator retrieves results that include all of your search terms. For example, searching for "climate change" AND "food security" will only show results that mention both topics together. The OR operator retrieves results that include any of your search terms. For instance, irrigation OR "soil fertility" will show results that mention either irrigation, soil fertility, or both. The NOT operator excludes certain terms from your results. If you search for "crop rotation" NOT "organic farming", you'll see results about crop rotation that don't discuss organic farming. Lastly, the parentheses (_) help you combine operators for more specific searches. For example, (maize OR sorghum) AND "soil fertility" will find results about soil fertility related to either maize or sorghum.

Improving Search Results with AGROVOC

AGROVOC is FAO’s multilingual controlled vocabulary containing over 40,000 concepts in more than 42 languages. It enhances search accuracy by harmonising terminology (e.g., “maize” vs. “corn”). In AGRIS records, AGROVOC keywords are clickable at the record level, allowing users to explore related concepts and discover additional literature.

Advanced Search Techniques

Advanced Search enables refined retrieval and supports exact phrase searching using quotation marks. For example, “soil health management”. Truncation using the asterisk symbol (agricultur*), and field-specific searches such as author:Smith, title:"climate change", and abstract:irrigation. These elements can be combined to build complex queries.

Try the advanced search here.

Accessing Full-Text Resources

FAO AGRIS includes historical records spanning five decades, and some older entries no longer provide access to full-text documents. However, many contemporary records now include direct links to full-text publications. Results with full-text access are marked with a red button, and you can also filter for them by selecting the “Full text only” option in the left column.

When full-text access is not immediately available, records include data provider information and institutional repository links, enabling users to:

• Access complete publications through institutional repositories
• Contact data providers directly
• Request documents from authors

In this way, FAO AGRIS connects users with high-quality sources through its network of international data providers.

Celebrating 50 years of service, FAO AGRIS remains a cornerstone for global access to agricultural knowledge. Today, it enhances research efficiency through modern search tools, structured metadata, and a user-focused design. While the platform continues to evolve, its mission endures: to ensure that researchers, practitioners, and policymakers can access the information they need to confront critical food and agriculture challenges worldwide.

To deepen your skills and make the most of the platform, explore the FAO AGRIS User Guide and the self-paced online course. These resources will help you apply both basic and advanced search strategies, supporting a more efficient and meaningful research experience.