WASHINGTON — The Agriculture Department announced on Thursday that it planned to relocate two scientific divisions to the Kansas City region from Washington, despite resistance from career staff members and concern that the move will erode the quality of research at the agency.

More than 500 jobs will shift across the country as the department moves its Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture with the intent of bringing research closer to the agricultural communities that it serves. The move is projected to save the department nearly $300 million over 15 years.

“The Kansas City region has proven itself to be a hub for all things agriculture and is a booming city in America’s heartland,” Sonny Perdue, the agriculture secretary, said on Thursday.

The move follows a nearly yearlong process to find a new home for the divisions. Plans for the relocation have generated a backlash from employees who have been fearful about their jobs being moved and who have speculated that the Trump administration is trying to stifle research that at times has clashed with its political agenda.