MISSION STATEMENT: To plan, develop and implement research designed to produce technologies and systems required to maintain national self sufficiency and export capacity.

The objectives of the institution are to:

1. Manage and conserve the nation's soil and water resources for stable and productive agriculture.

2. Integrate scientific knowledge and agricultural production, processing and marketing into systems which optimize resource management and facilitate the transfer of the technology to users.

3. Maintain and increase productivity and quality in crop and animal production.

4. Achieve maximum use of agricultural products for domestic and export purposes

The National Agricultural Research Institute, a semi autonomous research institution, was created by the National Agricultural Research Institute Act No. 19, which was passed on the 26^th November 1984. The legislative drafting for the establishment of NARI was done by Former Deputy Prime Minister and Attorney General Dr Shahabudeen.

The land on which NARI sits was originally a sugar estate. The Central Agricultural station, as it was originally called, was located at Mon Repos and had occupied an 11.3km long by 437m wide strip of land. In 1955 the Government acquired the land and the following year work on the  establishment of the station commenced. It was completed and formally opened in 1962. The station was built to provide offices, laboratory facilities and residential accommodations. The Guyana Rice Corporation and  the  Guyana School of Agriculture (created in 1963) were stationed here.

The Central Agricultural Station was operated under the authority of the then Ministry of National Development and Agriculture and acted as its main research station until the establishment of NARI in 1984.

In November 1969, the Kairuni Research Plot was established adding to the number of stations under the Central Agricultural Station, including:

	Hosororo Agricultural Station
	Ebini Livestock Station
	St Ignatius Livestock Station
	Central Horticultural Station - Atkinson Field.

The NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE was established on the 6th October, 1984. It was created to rectify the problems of inefficient and ineffective utilization of scientific research personnel. It was further aimed at the development of each region in Guyana to increase productivity in agriculture, which can support crops and livestock and sustain those production efforts and agro based industries most appropriate to the ecological and economic attributes of the eco-zone. It was also aimed at providing services, which allowed almost parallel growth of the farmer, individually or co-operatively, with the development of technologies for production and maximization of returns to its production activities.

‘The establishment of the institute is an achievement of our independence, representing a new and compulsory phase of our agricultural development.’ Mr. Burnham contented that unless we do a substantial amount of our research, we shall be poor and backwards even with the discovery of oil. He said that mere money is not development and without development one has poverty of a deeper kind. In telling of the pivotal role the institute has to undertake, he gave an example of black-eye peas which is produced here in Guyana on a large scale but the seeds are imported from out of the country. He pointed out that we have reached a point where we can nurture and reap the crops but we do not produce the seeds.

Upon establishment it retained all of its stations and by 1986 had opened/acquired four more, namely:

In the initial establishment of the institution, research work was done in two of the five broad eco-zones – the Coastal Pains and the Intermediate Savannahs, while providing technical support for the upland rain forests, the mountains and the Rupununi Savannahs.

The Coastal Plains Field Research Unit (CPFRU) was located at Burma, Mahaicony. The major research work was conducted on the improvement of rice but works were also conducted on roots and tuber crops, plantains, vegetable crops and pasture improvement.

The Intermediate Savannahs Field Research Unit (ISFRU) is located at Ebini on the Berbice River. Major experimental works conducted at this station were: large-scale, mechanized farming systems for such open row crops as cotton, cow peas, soybeans, peanuts, corn and sorghum, sheep and goat adaptability to the eco-zone. Dr. L.A. Simpson, PhD, headed this unit.

The institute’s Headquarters and General Administration was located at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara. This unit was also referred to as the Mon Repos Field Research Unit. At this location the management retained control of the laboratory facilities and green houses of the Central Agricultural Station. These facilities were well-equipped and provided diagnostic and advisory services in Entomology, Plant Pathology, Weed Science, Soil Microbiology and Soil and Land Use Survey. On 14^th June 1991, the first ever Tissue Culture laboratory was official open in Guyana at NARI. The commissioning of the Tissue culture laboratory added new dimension to agricultural research. Guyanese research scientists were now prepared to deal with the challenges of providing adequate planting materials for the farming community that were of superior quality, in greater quantity and at a cheaper cost. At the Mon Repos location the NARI’s Library and Documentation is also housed.

In 1995, after a decade of success in the field of agricultural research and the evolution of international agricultural negotiations, the government of Guyana recognized the importance for the establishment of a research facility equip to conduct scientific research in the area of rice cultivation. During that year the Guyana Rice Development Board Act No. 16 was piloted through the National Assembly and given assent by Guyana former President Dr. Cheddi Jagan. With the enactment of the Guyana Rice Development Act No. 16, Rice research was transferred to the Burma 

Since its creation, three Directors governed the institute, the first being Dr. Michael A. Granger, PhD. (1985- 1992) and currently Dr. Oudho Homenauth, PhD. (2000 -). The first chairman of the Agricultural Research Committee was John Browman, MSc.

NARI is governed by the Agricultural Research Committee (ARC), a group of eminent local scientists and managers. The ARC interfaces with the Agricultural Research Advisory Council, (ARAC), a council of farmers that has been integrated into the research process.

The National Agricultural Research Institute is headed by a Director and he is accountable to both the Minister of Agriculture and to the Agricultural Research Committee for the management of the institute. The Director is assisted by Heads of Units, who are responsible for the daily activities and administration of the respective field research units, along with an administrative manager who oversees the general administration of the institution.

The Agricultural Research Committee consists of : a Chairman, Vice Chairman and representatives from institutions 

Appointment of the Director of NARI is done by the Minister of Agriculture. The Appointment Committee, a sub committee within the Agricultural Research Committee is responsible for the appointment of Research Scientist and other senior administrative staff attached to NARI.

The Institution works in collaboration with local and regional research agencies including CARDI.

Operations at NARI are funded by the Central Government, but some projects are supported by International agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Organization for American States (OAS).