The Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (CAFE) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst integrates research and outreach education in agriculture, food systems, and the environment. The Center is the contemporary standard bearer of the university’s land-grant origins. It provides linkages from the University with vibrant business, policy, and public interest sectors in the state, including agriculture, the horticultural 'green industries,' environmental decision-makers, and food system interests. The Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station, UMass Cranberry Station, UMass Extension, and the Water Resources Research Center are all units of the Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment. The Center is based in the College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst and also works with the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the College of Engineering.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university that offers a variety of academic programs and natural areas for its students and visitors. The campus is divided into three distinct zones: upland, midland, and lowland, each with its own topography and character. The campus natural systems include soils, hills, plateaus, floodplains, wetlands, open spaces, forests, and arboretums. These natural areas provide opportunities for outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, and sustainability research. The university is also committed to reducing its environmental impact and has been ranked among the top 20 green colleges by the Princeton Review.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research university in Amherst and the sole public land-grant university in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it is the flagship and the largest campus in the University of Massachusetts system, as well as the first established. It is also a member of the Five College Consortium, along with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and Hampshire College.

The University's campus is situated on 1,450 acres, mainly in the town of Amherst, but also partly in the neighboring town of Hadley. The campus extends about 1 mile from the Campus Center in all directions and may be thought of as a series of concentric rings, with the innermost ring harboring academic buildings and research labs, surrounded by a ring of seven residential areas and two University-owned apartment complexes. These include North Apartments, Sylvan, Northeast, Central, Orchard Hill, Southwest, Commonwealth Honors College Residential Complex, as well as the two University-owned apartment complexes, North Village and Lincoln Apartments. These are in turn surrounded by a ring of athletic facilities, smaller administration buildings, and parking lots.