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Agriculture and Natural Resources

Feeding a growing population while protecting our planet requires sustainable approaches to agriculture, natural resources, and energy. The National Academies provide evidence-based insights on food production, crop and soil management, conservation, fisheries and ocean management, and energy sources to help secure our environmental and economic future. Explore research that addresses the complex challenges of managing our land, water, and ecosystems for generations to come.

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Statement by National Academies Presidents on Importance of NSF’s Ocean Observatories Initiative

Statement

The National Science Foundation’s recent decision to begin removing the Ocean Observatories Initiative’s deep-sea infrastructure could put the U.S. at risk of not having the data needed to address crucial issues such as the impacts of El Niño, effects of ocean ecosystem change on important fisheries, and challenges to U.S. national security from greater access to the Arctic.

Jun 9, 2026
Photo to accompany NASEM presidents' statement regarding importance of the U.S. National Science Foundation's Ocean Observatories Initiative. Image depicts work supported by the initiative.

What to Know About the Current State of Bird Flu in the U.S.: A Conversation with Shawn Gibbs

Feature Story

As summer approaches, infectious diseases such as H5N1 — commonly known as bird flu — can spread more easily and potentially mutate. Bird flu cases in humans are still relatively rare, and the virus has not yet been known to spread from person to person, but farm workers have contracted the virus after close, prolonged, and unprotected contact with infected animals. We caught up with Shawn Gibbs, dean of the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, to get his thoughts on what should be done to mitigate exposure risks.

May 22, 2026
Workers in chicken farm

Paleoenvironmental Data 101: Using Earth’s Past to Prepare for the Future

Announcement

While data collected by modern instruments can provide information on decades of Earth’s extreme events, paleoenvironmental data found in natural archives such as ice cores and tree rings can extend that record by hundreds, thousands, or millions of years into the past. Drawing on a new National Academies report, this interactive webpage offers an introduction to different paleoenvironmental archives and how they are being used to develop a deeper understanding of disasters in the past and plan for a more resilient future.

May 4, 2026
Rock core samples at the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland. Used on the cover of: A Synthesis Center for Paleoenvironmental Records of Extreme Events

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