The University of Reading’s School of Agriculture, Policy and Development dates back to 1892, when the University was established as University College Reading, an offshoot of the University of Oxford. In 1912 the Research Institute in Dairying (later known as NIRD) was established and became part of the then Faculty of Agriculture and Horticulture.

In 2023 the School was promoting the expertise of its staff in “agriculture, animal science, international development, environmental management, food marketing and consumer behaviour.” The School was then responsible for teaching 800 students each year and was divided into five departments: Agri-Food Economics and Marketing, Animal Sciences, Crop Science, International Development and Sustainable Land Management.

The department manages approximately 800 hectares of farming land and woodlands as a research and teaching resource.