Journal profile · AGRONOMY
Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development
ISSN 2152-0798 · eISSN 2152-0801 · Thomas A. Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems · United States
Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development: CAS Zone 4 · Economics (2025 upgraded edition); fully open access; APC about USD 750; review about 15 weeks (community reports); 152 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development is published by Thomas A. Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems and is in Zone 4 of Economics in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Organic Food and Agriculture, Urban Agriculture and Sustainability and Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations, together about 54.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are General Agricultural and Biological Sciences. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD) is an online, international, peer-reviewed publication focused on the practice and applied research interests of agriculture and food systems development professionals. JAFSCD emphasizes best practices and tools related to the planning, community economic development, and ecological protection of local and regional agriculture and food systems, and works to bridge the interests of practitioners and academics. Articles are published online as they are approved and are then gathered into quarterly issues for indexing purposes. JAFSCD is an online-only journal; subscribers access the content online and may download or print any articles. As the journal focuses on the practice of agriculture and food system development, empirical and methodological content are emphasized over the theoretical. Applied research-based papers, case studies, project post-mortems, effective strategies, impact analyses, new possibilities (problems-solving, opportunity-taking, and the like) are examples of what professionals in government, the nonprofit sector, and private practice find helpful in their work.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): AGRONOMY
Editor-in-chief Duncan Hilchey PublicationPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 3, United States 1, Japan 1, France 1, Mexico 1 (10 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Organic Food and AgricultureAgricultural and Biological Sciences24.6%
- Urban Agriculture and SustainabilityAgricultural and Biological Sciences18.8%
- Food Security and Health in Diverse PopulationsHealth Professions10.9%
- Agriculture, Land Use, Rural DevelopmentAgricultural and Biological Sciences8%
- Agricultural Innovations and PracticesAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.6%
- Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental ImpactEnvironmental Science4.3%
- Culinary Culture and TourismAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.9%
- Food Waste Reduction and SustainabilityAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Economics Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Agricultural Economics & Policy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Development Studies | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Economics Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Agricultural Economics & Policy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Development Studies | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor (publisher) 2022
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.1LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.43LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.6LetPub ·
- h-index
- 45OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 383OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.92OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 19%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 98.6%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 119LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,543 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 106 | 106 | 5 |
| 2025 | 152 | 152 | 133 |
| 2024 | 97 | 97 | 189 |
| 2023 | 88 | 88 | 352 |
| 2022 | 84 | 84 | 349 |
| 2021 | 125 | 125 | 918 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 15 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 15 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 750 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | USD 500 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 750 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 750 | — | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Reference style
- APA
- Templates
- Word
Article types accepted3
- perspectiveA perspective manuscript is a drill deep into a specific problem and present or propose novel insights or solutions and should generously cite relevant literatu…Length not stated
- program briefProgram briefsLength not stated
- research briefA research brief is generally an update of ongoing research of national or international significance. It is typically a follow-up to a research paper already s…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteConflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Peer review
- Conflicts of interest Disclosures
Each author must disclose all relevant financial and other interests that might be construed as resulting in an actual, potential, or apparent conflict in his or her role as an author of the paper, regardless of amount or value.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability
Names and email addresses entered in the journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of the journal, including ongoing notifications of JAFSCD new content and other news. Names and/or email addresses will not be shared with any other party. Model summary
The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal, including ongoing notifications of JAFSCD new content and other news. We will not share names and/or email addresses with any other party.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Notice
Copyright to all content published in JAFSCD belongs to the author(s), licensed as CC BY 4.0. Model summary
The copyright to all content published in JAFSCD belongs to the author(s). It is licensed as CC BY 4.0. This license determines how you may reprint, copy, distribute, or otherwise share JAFSCD content.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer-Review Process
The following are the basic steps in the process of submitting, peer-reviewing, and publishing a manuscript in JAFSCD: Complete and submit the JAFSCD Query Form. JAFSCD editor-in-chief will review the form (and any additional attachment(s)) and notify the corresponding author whether the manuscript is approved for submission. If the submission is approved, the author is given instructions for regi…
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Thomas A. Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems
- Country or region
- United States
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2152-0798
- Electronic ISSN
- 2152-0801
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 15, Issue 4 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development
What CAS zone is Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development is in Zone 4 of Economics, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Agricultural Economics & Policy / Development Studies. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Economics. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development?
Authors report an average review time of about 15 weeks. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Reference style: APA; Templates: Word. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development based?
Of the 10 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (3), United States (1) and Japan (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 750.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .