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Dear herb farmer,
Since our launch in
January, Food Tank has worked to amplify the
messages of groups working around the
world to improve the food system.
The 40
organizations we're highlighting today are doing
invaluable work to change the way we
eat, grow, cook, buy, and sell food.
Our hope is that the more
people know about the work that these
groups are doing, the more people can
be inspired to make their own change
in the food system.
We realize many, many
organizations are missing from this
list. Who would you add? We will
publish additional suggestions from
you on the Food Tank website next
week.
Please also forward this
email to 40 of your friends and family
members--and share this LINK on
social networks like Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest--so
that we can all take one step closer
to our goal of a more sustainable,
healthy, and socially just world!
1. Ashoka
Innovators for the Public (United States/International) – Ashoka supports a network
of 3,000 social entrepreneurs across
the world. By providing financing and
start-up capital, Ashoka has been
transforming the landscape of social
innovation since 1980.
2. Australian
International Food Security Centre
(AIFSC) (Australia) – The AIFSC is a non-profit
organization that works to promote
agricultural innovation and attract
investment to agricultural development
projects. Aiming to build capacity for
farming initiatives worldwide,
AIFSC focuses on achieving specific
goals like improving nutrition,
connecting researchers with industry,
and enhancing supply chain systems to
allow farmers to bring their products
to market.
3. Barilla
Center for Food & Nutrition
(BCFN) (Italy) – The Barilla Center for Food
& Nutrition works to promote
science and research for combating
hunger and malnutrition worldwide.
Using knowledge gleaned from research
projects around the world, BCFN seeks
to take innovative ideas for tackling
food insecurity and translate them
into effective policy recommendations
for governments around the world.
Since their inception, they have
released original research on a wide
range of topics including global
obesity and sustainable agriculture.
4. Bioversity
International (International) – Bioversity International is
a research and development
organization aimed at supporting
smallholder farmers in the developing
world through sustainable agriculture
and conservation. Bioversity
International focuses on rain-fed
farming systems, managed by
smallholder farmers, in communities
where large scale agriculture is not
possible.
5. Calacea Farm, Not
For Sale (NFS) (Romania) - NFS is an organization working
to fight modern-day slavery around the
world. In Romania, NFS works with
their partner Mariana, operating an organic farm,
which accommodates survivors of human
trafficking. Just outside Timișoara, the farm offers health care,
education, life skill training and new
employment, to restore dignity and
help re-build their future. Last year,
the NFS helped construct a building
to house up to 50 additional farm
workers, a workshop space to make jam,
milk, and cheese and two greenhouses
to produce fruits and vegetables.
6. Center
for Food Safety (United States) - The Center for Food Safety is
a non-profit advocacy organization
that promotes food systems that are
safe, sustainable, and environmentally
sound. Using a legal team, original
research on agriculture, and
grassroots organizing, CFS’ mission is
to protect human health and the
environment, achieved through careful
monitoring of the agricultural
industry for violations of food safety
and environmental laws.
7. The Center for
Studies and Development of Cambodian
Agriculture (CEDAC) (Cambodia) - In partnership with,
Farmer Nature (FNN) CEDAC has worked
to promote the
System of Rice Intensification (SRI), which can increase yields
and improve soil fertility while
reducing the use of chemicals and
maintaining local ownership of seeds.
CEDAC supports several other
agricultural innovations and
techniques including Ecological
Chicken Raising (ECR), pig raising,
home gardening, aquaculture,
composting, and multi-purpose farming.
8. Chicago
Council on Global Affairs Global
Agricultural Development Initiative (United States/International)
- The Global
Agricultural Development Initiative
seeks to inform the development of
U.S. policy on global agricultural
development and food security by
raising awareness and providing
resources, information, and policy
analysis to the U.S. Administration,
Congress, and experts and
organizations.
9. Christensen
Fund (United
States) – The
Christensen Fund is a philanthropic
organization dedicated to promoting
biological and cultural diversity,
making grants to organizations that
work in conservation science, visual
arts, and education. The Fund is
particularly noted for its work on
agrobiodiversity and food sovereignty,
in which it provides resources for
indigenous and local farming
communities to protect and enhance
local food systems.
10. Consultative
Group on International Agricultural
Research (CGIAR) (International) - The Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research is
a network of research organizations
that are looking to promote and
support global food security. With 15
centers around the globe, CGIAR helps
to share knowledge and advance
research on rural poverty, health and
nutrition, and management of natural
resources.
11. EARTH
University (Costa Rica) – EARTH
University is an international
non-profit undergraduate institution
based in Costa Rica focused on
agricultural sciences and natural
resource management. EARTH’s mission
is to “prepare leaders with ethical
values to contribute to the
sustainable development of the tropics
and to construct a prosperous and just
society.”
12. Ecoagriculture
Partners (United
States/International) – Ecoagriculture Partners
supports agricultural communities in
managing their landscapes by using
ecoagriculture in order to enhance
rural livelihoods, conserve
biodiversity, and produce food and
fiber in environmentally sustainable
ways.
13. ECOVA
MALI (Mali) – Founded by former Peace
Corps volunteers, Cynthia Hellmann and
Gregory Flatt, ECOVA MALI works with
Malian farmers to teach other farmers
about sustainable agriculture methods.
They also offer micro-financing and
small-scale grants so that farmers can
invest in the sustainability, both
social and environmental, of their
operations.
14. Farm
Labor Organizing Committee (United States) – Founded in 1967, FLOC
sought to improve the working
conditions of farm laborers by
creating a mobile organizing base that
could move along with workers as the
seasons changed. Now, FLOC has over
20,000 members and works in both the
United States and Mexico.
15. Feeding
the 5000 (United
Kingdom/International) – Tristram Stuart’s
initiative is organizing the world to
prevent "wonky" fruits, vegetables,
and other food from being wasted.
Feeding the 5000 encourages farmers to
participate in the “gleaning movement”
– where volunteers collect
unattractive produce that would
otherwise be wasted for consumption.
16. Food
& Water Watch (United States) - Founded on the belief that
people have a fundamental right to
trust the safety of the products they
eat and drink, Food and Water Watch is
a nonprofit organization that works to
make food and water resources
accessible and sustainable. They
monitor food production and clean
water systems, track the environmental
quality of oceans, keep watch over
U.S. corporate influence on public
policy, and hold policymakers
accountable for policies that pollute.
17. Food
First: The Institute for Food and
Development Policy (United States/International) - Food First is a research and
advocacy organization that seeks to
eliminate the injustices that cause
hunger worldwide, working with social
movements to amplify their voices and
boost their efforts toward food
justice and sovereignty. Believing
that change happens from the ground
up, Food First supports an
agricultural approach that moves away
from transnational agri-food industry
to one focused primarily on farmers
and communities.
18. Food
Mythbusters (United States) – Food Mythbusters works to
dispel misconceptions about food
production and promote reforms in
industrial agriculture, unfair labor
practices, and food advertising. In
order to tell “the real story of our
food,” Food Mythbusters utilizes video
series, grassroots events, and
interactive digital content.
19. Global Partnerships
for Afghanistan (GPFA) (Afghanistan)
– GFPA launched the Women
Working Together collaborative
initiative in 2005 to increase the
quality of life of women in
Afghanistan. GPFA focuses on
programming that enhances female-run
farms and orchards, teaching food
preservation, greenhouse operation,
and other practices.
20. GoodPlanet
Foundation (France) –
The GoodPlanet Foundation seeks to
educate the public about the
importance of environmental
protection. The organization utilizes
the power of photographs, posters,
websites, films, and other visual
media to spread information. For
example, GoodPlanet has lead
successful campaigns on the awareness
of ocean and forest conservation,
respectively.
21. Growing
Power (United
States) – Growing
Power, Inc. is an American non-profit
organization and land trust that seeks
“to grow food, minds, and community”
through a network of farms, training
sites, and community food systems that
provide access to food for all people.
Growing Power also runs a number of
youth programs and collaborates with
various organizations, including
Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!”
campaign. This year, Growing Power
celebrates its 20th anniversary.
22. Heifer
International (United States/International)
- Heifer
International is a non-profit
organization that seeks to end hunger
and poverty by providing communities
in need with livestock and other
animals that help them to build local,
self-sufficient agricultural systems.
It also offers a variety of resources
that help impoverished farmers create
sustainable sources of income,
providing them with research on
effective grazing methods, optimal
animal well-being, and the creation of
local networks that farmers can use to
share resources with one another.
23. Institute
for Agriculture and Trade Policy
(IATP) (United
States/International) – IATP is a research and
advocacy organization working to
promote fair and sustainable food,
farm, and trade systems around the
world. Created in response to the
American family farm crisis, IATP
initially sought to document the
failed policies that had led to prices
dropping below the cost of production,
and put many family farmers out of
business. Now, IATP works with
organizations worldwide to analyze the
impact of global trade agreements,
develop clean energy models, and stop
the excessive use of antibiotics in
agriculture and aquaculture.
24. International
Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD) (International) – This United
Nations-supported financial
institution is on a mission to
eradicate rural poverty in developing
countries. IFAD helps empower the
rural poor by providing them with the
resources they need to invest in
themselves and increase their incomes.
25. L.I.F.E.
(Lasting Impact for Ethiopia) (Ethiopia) – This nonprofit organization
is educating and empowering Ethiopian
youth. In January 2012, a school for
Ethiopian youth was established in the
village of Nazerate, with a curriculum
emphasizing literacy, agriculture,
health, and sustainability.
26. Latin
American and Caribbean Center for
Rural Women (Enlac) (Latin
American and Caribbean Regions) – The Latin American and
Caribbean Center for Rural Women
(Enlac in Spanish) serves as an
organizing voice for marginalized,
rural women. Enlac calls for
policies that give
Latin American and Caribbean women
equal access to land rights, raise
awareness about violence against
female agriculture workers, boost
access to clean water, and conserve
native seeds.
27. Millennium
Institute (MI) (United States/International) – Millennium Institute is an
independent nonprofit with the goal of
promoting systems literacy and dynamic
modeling tools in order to achieve
sustainable development globally. MI
works to achieve awareness through
public education and strategic
partnerships centered around
interdependence and sustainability.
28. One
Acre Fund (United
States/Sub-Saharan Africa) – The One Acre Fund provides
farmers in sub-Saharan Africa with the
tools--such as seeds and
fertilizers, credit, access to markets,
and educational programs on farming
techniques--they need to successfully
operate their plots.
29. ONE
Campaign (International) – The ONE Campaign is an
international advocacy group aimed at
alleviating extreme poverty and
preventable disease through public
awareness.
30. Oxfam
International (International) – Through a wide variety of
approaches – including their Behind
the Brands Campaign to secure labor
rights for employees in the cocoa
industry and immediate emergency
support – Oxfam has taken measures to
bring an end to global poverty.
31. Restaurant
Opportunities Centers United
(ROC-United) (United States) –ROC-United is a labor
advocacy organization that focuses
specifically on the American
restaurant workforce. Founded by
restaurant workers after the 9/11
attacks to help other displaced
workers, ROC-United primarily
advocates for better wages and working
conditions, seeking to act as a
champion for members of an industry
that is less than one percent
unionized.
32. The
Savory Institute (United States/International) – This organization, lead by
Alan Savory, the “father of holistic
management,” uses livestock in
sustainable ways to restore
grasslands. The Savory Institute teams
up with private investors to purchase
ranch real estate for restoration.
33. Slow
Food International (Italy/International) - Slow Food International is
an international non-profit
organization with supporters in 150
countries that emphasizes the
importance of good food and the
factors that make it possible,
including biodiversity, culture, and
knowledge. Created to respond to an
increasingly “fast food” world, Slow
Food seeks to preserve local
traditions, enhance people’s
understanding of food and where it
comes from, and comprehend the impact
that our food choices make on the
world.
34. Soil
Association (United Kingdom) – The Soil Association is a
U.K.-based charity that campaigns for
humane and healthful food through
sustainable farming and land use.
Founded in 1946, Soil Association was
an early player in the movement to
identify links between farming
practices and the health of humans,
plants, animals, and ecosystems. Now,
the organization works closely with
communities to create and inspire
trust in organic farming methods and
the food that they produce.
35. Songtaab-Yalgré
Association (SYA) (Burkina Faso) Songtaab-Yalgré Association
(SYA) brings together women from
across Burkina Faso to produce shea
nuts, using the collective to
simultaneously improve their literacy
and their working conditions. As a
locally-sourced crop, shea nuts were
chosen for their potential to allow
the women harvesting them to achieve a
higher level of economic
self-sufficiency, and empower them to
become independent in their society.
Workers at SYA distribute profits
equally and set aside a percentage to
fund community development projects as
well.
36. Stone
Barns Center for Food and
Agriculture (United States) – The Stone Barns Center is a
non-profit organization that aims to
create a food system that is healthy,
sustainable, and which benefits all
people. On an 80-acre farm just
outside of New York City, the Center
offers cooking classes for all ages,
organizes a seasonal market, and
operates two food venues. All profits
support farm operations and community
education programs, and the Center
encourages anyone to visit and see the
benefits of a sustainable farm.
37. U.N.
Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) (International)
– The Food and
Agriculture Organization is the United
Nations’ international agency
overseeing global food security and
agriculture. Among their many research
areas, FAO’s main activities include
knowledge-sharing among member
nations, making information about food
and agriculture available for all
people, supporting policies to reduce
malnutrition and other illnesses
worldwide, rallying the international
community to promote effective
strategies for agricultural
development, and conducting research
to better understand the complex
issues that face the global food
system.
38. Winrock (United States/International) – Winrock International works
with marginalized people all over the
world to provide them with the skills
and resources they need to bring
themselves out of poverty. WinRock’s
projects include empowering women and
youth and teaching environmentally
responsible farming methods.
39. World
Food Programme (WFP) (International) – The World Food Programme is
an international anti-hunger
organization that collects and
distributes food assistance to
populations in need. As the world’s
largest organization working to combat
hunger, WFP distributes food to over
90 million people annually, mainly
delivering assistance to children,
refugees, people in emergency
situations (such as the 2010
earthquake in Haiti) and the rural
poor.
40. World
Vegetable Center (AVRDC) (Taiwan/International) – AVRDC is an international
non-profit organization dedicated to
reducing poverty and malnutrition in
the developing world by increasing
agricultural production and access to
a variety of vegetables, providing
essential micronutrients for
populations in need. The Center works
with both private and public sector
partners to strike an effective
balance between necessary research for
new technologies and development to
employ those technologies effectively.
Please don't forget to share
this list by forwarding or sharing this LINK and let's
spread the work of these terrific
organizations!
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All The Best,
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Danielle Nierenberg
Co-Founder, Food Tank
foodtank.org
Please connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest
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Addressing the
Link Between Disability and Food
Insecurity |
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Disability prevents both
producers and consumers from
accessing food and a healthy
livelihood. Read more...
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Water
Resource Cooperation in Nepali
Villages |
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In
Nepal, inefficiency in policy and
infrastructure is creating an
unnecessary scarcity. Read more... |
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India
is famous for its native cattle. But,
because of cross-breeding with
non-native dairy cattle breeds, India
risks losing its genetic heritage for
good. Read more... |
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Interview with
Janelle Kapoor, Director of the
Ashevillage Institute’s New Urban
Farm School |
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Food
Tank interviews Janell Kapoor about
the Ashevillage Institute’s new
holistic Urban Farm School in
Asheville, North Carolina. Read more... |
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Eliminate
Poverty Now’s Farmers of the
Future |
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Anna
Drury and John Craig of Eliminate
Poverty Now describe how the Farmers
of the Future program is teaching
sustainable agriculture to young
people in Niger. Read more... |
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Phone
app AppliFish helps consumers
choose sustainable fish |
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Applifish
is a new phone app that helps
consumers learn about the
sustainability of the fish they
purchase. Read more... |
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