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Agriculture was one of the major topics of the 18th century. «First among the arts», it was at the heart of recurring debates on the origin of societies, property, wealth, knowledge, etc. Agricultural life was synonymous with morality and civic purpose in opposition to selfishness and corrupting luxury. These representations were rehashed everywhere, from economics or philosophy essays to literary writings. They are also found throughout the Encyclopédie. Praise for agriculture mirrored criticisms of the regime, as is the case with references to Roman farmer citizens, to Sully’s agricultural policy, and to American farmers, or with the utopian project developed in L’An 2440 by Sébastien Mercier. This context led to the creation of new sciences centered around agriculture, and of associations which took them as their object. The generalization of these representations - adding up to an ideology? - was an integral part of «the spirit of the time». It was also linked to the Enlightenment movement, the ambitions and principles of which were influenced, embodied and disseminated by these representations.