From an institutional perspective sustainable agriculture activities at the UIUC College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences extend back over a century ago. For example, the establishment of the Morrow Plots in 1876 and the initiation of soil surveys in 1902 were the start of an ongoing program of research focused on land resources. The work of Cyril G. Hopkins in the early 1900s had several elements familiar to the current sustainable agriculture movement, including emphasis of low cost inputs, reduced use of purchased inputs, regular soil testing, use of organic matter such as manures and legumes, use of legumes as cover crops and in rotations for soil fertility, profitability in agriculture, on-farm trials and demonstrations, and an overall emphasis of stewardship of the land and social responsibility.

Similarly, during the 1930s Herbert W. Mumford, Dean of the UIUC College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station (AES), outlined 6 priority objectives of the AES during that era, including conservation of land resources (first priority), reducing production and marketing costs, improving the quality of farm products, helping farmers adjust production and demand, broadening the market outlet for farm products, and helping homeowners to know better how to feed their families, utilize homegrown food, and better use their incomes.

Through the decades various researchers at the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center near Simpson, Illinois, stressed erosion control, pasture renovation, forage utilization, soil fertility experiments, sheep and beef production, and tillage systems. At Dixon Springs George E. McKibben, the "father of zero-tillage," conducted his pioneering work on soil conservation and reduction of tillage costs. Beginning in the early 1970s programs of integrated pest management (IPM) provided a foundation for more recent initiatives in sustainable agriculture, by encouraging faculty to adopt systems approaches to research. The research and extension activities at the UIUC in the 1980s and 1990s associated with water quality issues have also encouraged faculty to participate in systems research and, as such, have been predecessors to systems research in sustainable agriculture.

Currently, the agroecology/sustainable agriculture program is located in the Department of Natural Resource and Environmental Sciences, in the College of ACES. Department Head, Wes Jarrell, appointed Dr. Michelle Wander to supervise the program and develop sustainable ag programming that attracts more UIUC faculty engagement and serves the growing interest shown by students from across campus. An annual report is available that describes in detail the the most recent activities and accomplishments of the ASAP.