The Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources (BANR) is the major program unit of the National Research Council (NRC) responsible
for organizing and overseeing studies on issues of agricultural production and related matters of natural resource development, including
forestry, fisheries, wildlife, and land and water use. Such issues arise from a variety of problems and causes: conflicts between the
growing demand for food and resources of all kinds and the impacts of their development and production on the quality of air, land, water,
and natural ecosystems; and the need to sustain, restore and improve the productivity of agriculture for the economic well-being of the
nation. The Board maintains a critical overview of the several fields under its purview so that it is aware of relevant work relating to
policy formulation, technological assessment, research and development, manpower, funds, emerging issues and problems. The Board is
responsible for planning new studies, conducting oversight on projects carried out by its subsidiary committees, and making an annual
appraisal of accomplishment and potential new initiatives.
