The Institute's tasks are implemented within the long-term programme entitled "Principles of sustainable management and protection of agricultural area in Poland".
The research output of the IUNG is forwarded to the farmers through a net of agricultural advisory centres. The Institute is also very active in working for administration and local authorities. Our integrated information systems are widely used to formulate agricultural policy and make decisions regarding development of rural areas.
The IUNG contributes to increasing farm productivity and efficiency as well as to improving quality of agricultural products by providing farmers with agrotechnical recommendations and crop management technologies for cereals, legumes, tobacco and hops. Not only do they consider different intensity level but also various economic situation of farms. Research in the area of crop rotation is aimed at assessing and comparing three crop production systems: conventional, integrated and ecological. Moreover, the Institute is involved in the studies on precise agricultural system. Another matter of great importance is development of a comprehensive database on soil, agroclimate and plant cover in Poland. Computer data on soils include their geomorphologic properties, agrochemical status, degrees of susceptibility to degradation, especially erosion, degrees of contamination with heavy metals, sulphur and some other toxic, organic substances. Highly representative information on soils allows IUNG to prepare different scale numerical maps that cover various areas and may be found useful to manage agricultural space.

The Institute's modern facilities include Central Laboratory of Chemical Analyses and a brand-new Conference and Training Centre, where education and training activities as well as international conferences are held. Scientists from the IUNG have gained great experience in planning and organising agricultural farms, ecologisation of rural areas and management of protected areas. A number of scientists is engaged in assessing the effect of agriculture, industry and urban-industrial agglomeration on the environment. They also play a leading role in projects aimed at evaluating usability of mineral and organic wastes as fertilisers.

Within the last 10 years the IUNG has greatly contributed to agricultural and environmental science progress in Poland. The most significant achievements are: development of integrated information system for agriculture, assessment of chemical and physical degradation of soils in Poland, and establishment of the Polish Code of Good Agricultural Practice, relevant to the EU standards and regulations.    Up-to-date achievements, information resources, staff potential and state-of-the-art equipment as well as close co-operation with different research centres contribute to strengthening the national and international links of the Institute as an equal and reliable partner in the collaborative effort within Poland and the European Community.