Use when deciding whether a project fits Agricultural Systems (AgSy) and which article type to target. AgSy is a systems-science journal, so the test is a genuine systems question — interactions among components, across hierarchical levels (field → farm → landscape → region → food system), trade-offs, and emergent behavior — analyzed with integrated modelling, NOT a single-factor field trial. Helps frame the question; it does not collect data.
SkillScore95Maintained
Automatic
◆Research pack
Last verified 8/15/2026
What it changes
Passed 21 of 22 test cases with the skill, and 3 of 22 without it.
Without skill14%
With skill95%
Checks it passed that the model alone missed
Sets the fit verdict to strong
Classifies the fit verdict as strong
Identifies the fit verdict as strong
and 15 more in the full report
18 fixed3 passed either way1 still failing0 broke
Pass-rate lift
+82 pp
Tokens
+17%
Agent turns
0%
Response time
-51%
Model gemini-3.6-flashMeasured 8/15/2026v121 of 22 cases passed with skill
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
See it in action
One of 18 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
1 of 18
Prompt
We have completed a comprehensive multi-level systems analysis integrating bio-economic farm models and regional soil carbon dynamics. The manuscript draft stands at roughly 7,800 words. Assess this submission idea using the standard assessment blocks.
What was checked, without and with the skill
Checked
Without skill
With skill
Recommends Research paper as the article type
Missed
Passed
Identifies the fit verdict as strong
Missed
Passed
Includes 【Next】agsy-literature-positioning
Missed
Passed
case-19 · gemini-3.6-flash · 8/15/2026 · answers are capped and redacted
What's inside
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
SKILL.md108 linessingle file
Topic Selection & Fit (agsy-topic-selection)
Agricultural Systems publishes the systems analysis of agricultural systems. The bar is not "a new
result for crop X" — it is "a systems question about interactions and trade-offs." Use this skill to
pressure-test fit before you invest, and to keep a field trial from being mistaken for a systems paper.
When to trigger
Choosing among possible projects or framings for an AgSy submission
A reviewer/colleague said the paper "is just a field trial" or "lacks a systems angle"
Deciding between a research paper and a short communication
Considering a perspective (forward-looking opinion) or a comment on a published paper
The AgSy fit test
A strong AgSy paper usually clears all four:
A real systems question. The object is interactions — among components (crop–soil–livestock–
economics), across hierarchical levels, between agriculture and other land uses, or with the
natural/social/economic environment. If nothing interacts, it is not a systems paper.
Whole-farm to food-system scope (preferred). AgSy gives preference to whole-farm and
landscape-level issues. A plot-level result needs to be scaled or embedded in a larger system.
Integrated modelling and trade-offs. Conceptual + empirical + dynamic / bio-economic
modelling; the analysis surfaces trade-offs and synergies, not a single optimal number.
Decision relevance. The result informs a design, management, or policy choice (see
agsy-impact-and-implications).
Scale & system-boundary framing (state your system explicitly)
If your work is at…
reach AgSy fit by…
Field / plot
scaling to the farm or showing the field-level interaction that matters to the system
Whole-farm
the journal's sweet spot — show component interactions and whole-farm trade-offs
Landscape / region
spatial interactions, land-use competition, aggregation/emergence across farms
Food system
linking production to value chains, food security, environment, and policy
Article-type choice
Research paper — full systems study, ~8,000 words (no hard cap; stay near it).
Short communication — one crisp systems result, ~4,000 words. Do not pad it into a paper.