The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) was a federal agency that supported research, education, and extension programs in the areas of agriculture, natural resources, and rural development. CSREES was established in 1994 and was responsible for providing leadership, funding, and oversight to a nationwide network of land-grant universities, research institutions, and extension agencies.
CSREES worked to advance knowledge and technology in the areas of food and agriculture, natural resources, and rural development, and to transfer that knowledge to the public through education and outreach programs. It also supported research and extension programs that focused on the needs of underserved and disadvantaged communities.
CSREES was dissolved in 2014 and its responsibilities were absorbed by the newly created National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). NIFA continues to support research, education, and extension programs in the areas of food and agriculture, natural resources, and rural development, and it works to advance knowledge and technology in these areas to benefit the public.