The College of Food and Agricultural Sciences was founded in 1965 under the name College of Agriculture. This college is the sixth college established by King Saud University and the first one that specializes in agricultural sciences in the Arabian Peninsula region. It prepares agricultural engineers, agricultural specialists, and researchers in agricultural science, as well as environmental science. The college's first building was located in the Alisha neighborhood, southwest of Riyadh, containing an experimental field, greenhouses, laboratories, and an animal production area covering an area of 108,978 square meters. As well as the Dirab farm, an Al-Ghatt farm was established as an agricultural experiment station. The college had 58 students in its first year of operation, which has been a successful start for its educational mission. Along with all the other colleges at the university, the college relocated to its own building in Diriyah in 1985.

Throughout the college's history, the undergraduate programs have undergone numerous developmental stages. From 1965 to 1980, the college offered only one specialty, agricultural sciences (general division), and many qualified cadres graduated from this program. As part of the study plan developed between 1976 and 1980, five majors were included: 1- Production and protection of plants; 2- Production of animals and food; 3- Soil, land reclamation, and agricultural engineering; 4- Agriculture economics and rural society; and 5- General Division. Later, six academic programs were developed and offered to students: 1- Plant Production Sciences, 2- Applied Economics, 3- Animal Production, 4- Agricultural Engineering Sciences, 5- Food Sciences and Human Nutrition, and 6- Plant Protection. Furthermore, it has developed a number of master's and doctoral programs in a number of important areas of study.

As part of an effort to develop the college, the college's name was changed to the College of Food and Agricultural Sciences in 2003. As of now, the college has eight specialized scientific departments: the Department of Plant Production, the Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Community, the Department of Animal Production, the Department of Plant Protection, the Department of Agricultural Engineering, the Department of Soil Sciences, the Department of Agricultural Economics, and the Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition. Additionally, the college has an agricultural extension center and a research center. Eight research chairs are also available. Besides hosting the King Saud University Journal of Agricultural Sciences, the college also hosts two scientific societies: the Saudi Society for Agricultural Sciences and the Saudi Food and Nutrition Society.