2017 has been an exciting year for Food Tank! We held Summits in Washington, D.C., Boston, and New York City, traveled the world speaking at events, worked on the forthcoming book Nourished Planet, and met many of our members and readers in person! We hope you enjoyed a few of the more than 500 articles produced by our research staff.
We’re also looking forward to seeing what 2018 will offer. As a sneak peek, we will be doubling our number of Food Tank Summits, quadrupling our research staff, and rolling out new membership benefits including exclusive Facebook live chats that I will be hosting. If you are not already, it’s not too late to become a member this year and support our mission of bringing all sides to the table.
To end the year, we’ve compiled a list of 118 organizations to keep an eye on in 2018 that are working towards a more sustainable food system. Happy New Year
1. AeroFarms
AeroFarms built its ninth farm in 2017, the world’s largest indoor vertical farm in terms of annual output. They grow high-yielding leafy greens using minimal inputs to provide locally sourced foods while protecting the environment. Their year-round indoor production model allows AeroFarms to use 95 percent less water than field farming, on average.
2. African Biodiversity Network (ABN)
ABN was founded in 1996 in Kenya as a regional network of individuals and organizations in 12 African countries: Benin, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. ABN focuses on indigenous knowledge, protecting biodiversity, and improving agricultural policies and legislation.
3. Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation (Africa RISING)
Through action research and development partnerships, this program creates opportunities for smallholder farmers to move out of hunger and poverty. They focus on sustainably intensified farming systems that improve food, nutrition, and income security, particularly for women and children, and conserve or enhance the natural resource base.
A Growing Culture believes fixing the food system requires giving farmers a prominent seat at the table, a practice that is threatened by industrial agriculture. They are building the Library for Food Sovereignty to connect farmers from around the world, catalyze innovation, and transition to a more sustainable food system.
5. Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA)
AFSA is a pan-African organization of networks and farmer organizations. The initiative converges these stakeholders with the goal of influencing African policies to facilitate just and sustainable food systems. AFSA won the 2016 Food Sovereignty Prize for its work with promoting food sovereignty, agroecology, and social justice.
The Arava Institute has five transboundary research centers, including the Center for Sustainable Agriculture, directed by Dr. Elaine Solowey, and the Center for Hyper-Arid Socio-Ecology, directed by Dr. Miri Lavi-Neeman. The Centers are dedicated to the investigation and preservation of arid lands and their natural resources across the Middle East.
This hydro-organic farm is owned and operated by a military family. Their objectives are to create a sustainable, organic produce business and provide entrepreneurial training for veterans. They host the Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training (VSAT) Program, which trains transitioning service men and women in agriculture and food production.
8. Asian Non-Governmental Organization Coalition (ANGOC)
This platform supports more than 3,000 Asian NGOs and community-based organizations working on food security, sustainable agriculture, and rural development. ANGOC engages with governments and financial institutions to ensure that access to land, agrarian reform, and sustainable rural development are addressed in national and regional development agendas.
9. Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (BCFN)
BCFN’s goal is to foster an open dialogue about the well-being of the world’s population and promote change. Their Young Earth Solutions (BCFN YES!) program encourages young people to develop innovative solutions to problems within the global food system. In 2017, it launched a venture capital fund and innovation hub, called Blu1877, to support innovators in creating the future of sustainable food.
10. Berry Good Food Foundation
The Foundation works to advance a healthy, integrated food system by educating, connecting, and supporting food producers and consumers. They host a series of video-recorded multidisciplinary panels and coordinate hands-on classes that empower people to maximize their food budgets and minimize food waste through old-world skills with modern relevance.
This humanitarian organization fights global poverty and provides emergency disaster relief. CARE’s community-based efforts, focused particularly on women as a means for entire communities to escape poverty, include improving basic education, preventing the spread of disease, increasing access to clean water and sanitation, expanding economic opportunity, and protecting natural resources.
12. Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) at Vermont Law School
CAFS has a dual mission: to train food and agriculture advocates and entrepreneurs, and to create innovative legal tools to support the food movement. These legal tools are geared toward empowering advocates to improve the food system and its impacts on the environment, public health, local economies, food security, and animal welfare.
13. Center for Food Safety (CFS)
This public interest and environmental organization challenges harmful food production technologies and promotes sustainable alternatives. They use a variety of strategies and tools, including legal support for sustainable agriculture and food safety constituencies, public education efforts, grassroots organizational and media outreach, and litigation and legal petitions.
14. Center for Integral Small Farmer Development in the Mixteca (CEDICAM)
CEDICAM, working primarily in the Mixteca region of Mexico, promotes a “campesino-a-campesino” (farmer-to-farmer) method for agricultural knowledge exchange, making farmers the researchers and practitioners of sustainable agriculture techniques suited to their local conditions. Some of these techniques and projects include seed collection and saving, beekeeping, polyculture, and crop rotation.
15. Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)
CIFOR hopes to create a world in which forests are high on the political agenda, and evidence-based decisions are made in order to protect the forests and the needs of forest-dependent people. Their work enhances environmental conservation and human wellbeing, and promotes equity through research that aids businesses, governments, and non-governmental organizations.
16. Center for Regional Food Systems at Michigan State University
The Center for Regional Food Systems serves as a “backbone organization,” working to expand and coordinate engagement of MSU faculty and staff in interdisciplinary regional food systems applied research, education, and outreach. They convene partners from across the American Midwest and, increasingly, the world to support communities of practice and expand the resource base for educators and researchers.
17. Ceres
Ceres is a nonprofit organization driving sustainability leadership among large financial organizations, investors, and companies. Ceres promotes investment policies that are environmentally, socially, and financially sustainable to ensure companies take stronger action on addressing the world’s biggest sustainability challenges, such as climate change, water scarcity, and pollution.
18. Collaborative Crop Research Program (CCRP)
The McKnight Foundation’s CCRP funds collaborative agro-ecology research between smallholder farmers, local researchers, and development practitioners to explore solutions for sustainable, nutritious, local food systems. They focus on four “hunger hot spots,” the Andes (Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru), East and Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda), Southern Africa (Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania), and West Africa (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger).
The Community for Zero Hunger is an independent initiative that identifies specific priorities, knowledge, experiences, and sustainable solutions in the challenge to end hunger. In addition, they provide a collaborative platform for governments, research organizations, and NGOs to support the United Nations Zero Hunger Challenge.
20. Crop Trust
The Crop Trust is an international nonprofit organization working to preserve crop diversity in order to protect global food security. In partnership with the Millennium Seedbank at Kew, they manage a global 10-year international effort to find, gather, catalog, and save the wild relatives of 22 major food crops.
21. Daily Table
This not-for-profit retail store offers affordable nutrition to help communities make better food choices. They partner with growers, supermarkets, and other suppliers who donate excess food, allowing the store to compete with fast food options while reducing food waste.
22. East Europe Foundation (EEF)
Based in Moldova, the EFF seeks to empower citizens and foster sustainable development through education and technical assistance programs that promote democracy, foster good governance, and build economic prosperity.
23. EAT Foundation
EAT works to transform the global food system to achieve a future where healthy and sustainable food is affordable, accessible, and attractive to all. They connect leaders and innovators across disciplines to close knowledge gaps, translate research results into action plans, scale up solutions, raise awareness, and create engagement.
24. Eurasian Center for Food Security
Housed at Lomonosov Moscow State University in Russia, the Eurasian Center for Food Security works to encourage collective action to strengthen food security in Eurasia through research and development. The Center was established in 2011 to prioritize countries where food security is in critical condition, including Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia.
Fairtrade is committed to changing the way trade has traditionally worked, with a focus on conditions that have disadvantaged the poorest producers. Through better prices, working conditions, and trade terms for marginalized producers in developing countries, they are continuously working to change the status quo.
26. Family Farming Knowledge Platform of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization
The Family Farming Knowledge Platform gathers digitized information on family farming from all over the world. This includes national laws and regulations, public policies, best practices, relevant data and statistics, research, articles, and publications.
27. Farm to Cafeteria Canada (F2CC)
F2CC leads the Canadian farm-to-school movement, working with partners to influence policy to bring local, healthy, and sustainable foods into all public institutions. In 2016, 50 schools across British Columbia and Ontario were recipients of F2CC’s Farm to School Canada grants, enabling more than 19,500 students with opportunities to grow, harvest, cook, and eat healthy, local foods.
28. Fazenda da Toca
This large-scale organic farm in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, is one of the country’s leading producers of organic eggs and fruit. Toca preserves the Atlantic Forest and invests in research and development of agroforestry systems to develop non-polluting and scalable agro-ecological models capable of helping transform Brazil’s agriculture industry.
Food & Water Watch aims to combat corporations that put profits before people and advocates for a democracy that improves people’s lives while protecting our environment. The organization works to build a grassroots movement to hold governments and corporations accountable for their actions that affect food and water systems.
30. Food for Life
A collaboration between food activist Jeanette Orrey, the U.K. Soil Association, and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, Food For Life works to change food culture in nurseries, schools, hospitals, and care homes. Its “whole setting approach” works to provide nutritious, sustainably produced food, promote healthy food behaviors, and educate and engage pupils, patients, residents, and their families.
This is a full-time, advanced Master’s Program by the Future Food Institute is for aspiring food innovators and entrepreneurs. The program includes a comprehensive academic course in Italy, a global tour of Silicon Valley, Shanghai, and other urban centers, and a concluding session of laboratory training and prototyping in Italy.
FPA was established in 2012 through a collaboration of national food policy leaders in order to hold legislators accountable on votes that have an effect on food and farming. Through an annual National Food Policy Scorecard, FPA hopes to arm voters with the information they need to elect more food policy leaders across the country.
33. Food Reform for Sustainability and Health (FReSH)
FReSH aims to accelerate transformational change to achieve healthy, enjoyable diets for all by ensuring that food is produced responsibly and within planetary boundaries. Drawing on knowledge and efforts from research institutions, it works with the business community to develop high-impact solutions.
This is a directory of organizations in the United States that rescue, glean, transport, prepare, and distribute food to the those in need in their communities. These food rescue programs play an important role in feeding the hungry and in the reduction of food waste.
With more than 600,000 members, the Network aims to empower individuals, build community, and transform food systems to support healthy people and a healthy planet. They are an online-based education and advocacy-driven organization that works primarily through a number of outreach channels, including annual summits and retreats, books, and a blog.
This pan-Canadian alliance of organizations and individuals works to advance food security and food sovereignty. They facilitate a dynamic and accessible information hub to foster debate on food policy; support networks to assist in research and enhance learning and collaboration; and advocate for policies that reflect the priorities of Canada’s food movement.
Forum for the Future works with businesses, governments, and additional private and public sector actors across the globe to solve complex sustainability challenges. They believe it is critical to transform the key systems we currently rely on to shape a brighter future and innovate for long-term success.
38. Gen-O
Organic Valley, America’s largest organic farmer cooperative, counts more than 150 farmers aged 16 to 35 in its Gen-O program, which seeks to cultivate the organic movement’s next generation of leaders. In 2017, they sent a delegation to visit farms and share ideas with organic farmers in the United Kingdom.
39. Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)
Launched at the U.N. in 2002, GAIN is an international organization working to end malnutrition within this lifetime. They focus their efforts on children and women while building alliances between businesses, government, and civil society to deliver programs in 29 countries and help reduce malnutrition globally.
40. Global Alliance for the Future of Food (GAFF)
Formed in 2012 as a collaboration of philanthropic foundations, GAFF’s envisions healthy, equitable, renewable, resilient, and culturally diverse food and agricultural systems shared by people, communities, and their institutions. The Alliance leverages resources and knowledge to develop frameworks and pathways that build more sustainable food and agricultural systems. The Alliance funds a number of projects, including TEEBAgriFood.
41. Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAR)
GFAR is a voluntary, multi-stakeholder global forum on agricultural research and innovation. GFAR’s mission is to mobilize all stakeholders involved in agricultural research and innovation systems for development to catalyze actions toward alleviating poverty, increasing food security, and promoting the sustainable use of natural resources.
42. Global Lifestyle Medicine Mobilizing to Effect Reform (GLiMMER) Initiative
GLiMMER is a coalition of the world’s leading authorities and organizations in health-related fields who are committed to identifying and eradicating sources of disease. They work to share and promote data supporting common core elements of healthy lifestyles that have the capacity to prevent disease, forestall premature death, add years to life, and add life to years.
43. GRAIN
GRAIN is an international nonprofit which conducts independent research and analysis while collaborating with small farmers and social movements to support biodiverse community-controlled food systems. The majority of their work is centered in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where GRAIN highlights agricultural struggles, particularly focused on land grabs, food sovereignty, and biodiversity loss.
44. Green Shoots Foundation (GSF)
GSF’s work in Asia includes programs targeting healthcare and education. Alongside their other projects, an initiative called the Food, Agriculture & Social Entrepreneurship (FASE) program is gaining momentum and recognition in the region for its unique combination of agriculture, peer education, and community building.
Groundswell promotes sustainable agriculture worldwide. The organization is a global partnership between NGOs, local civil society organizations, and communities which aims to strengthen rural communities and promote healthy food systems in Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mali, Nepal, Senegal, and Western North Carolina.
Grow Dat’s mission is to nurture young leaders through the meaningful work of growing food. The organization promotes sustainability, inclusion, leadership, food justice, and unity. Seventy percent of their produce is sold at stands, markets, and through community supported agriculture, while thirty percent is given to low-income residents.
47. GrowNYC
GrowNYC provides free tools and services for New Yorkers to help improve access to fresh, healthy local food. In addition to a network of farmers’ markets and fresh food organizations, GrowNYC builds and rejuvenates community and school gardens and delivers environmental stewardship programs to more than 30,000 children each year.
48. Harlem Grown
Harlem Grown is an independent nonprofit organization based in Harlem, New York City, providing hands-on education to youth in urban farming, sustainability, and nutrition. Harlem Grown also works to renovate abandoned lots into urban farms and increase education and access to healthy food for Harlem residents.
49. International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)
ICARDA combines scientific evidence and indigenous knowledge to improve the resilience and livelihoods of dryland communities in low-income countries. ICARDA’s research has supported programs in more than 50 countries in the world’s dry areas, spanning from Morocco in North Africa to Bangladesh in South Asia.
50. International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
CIAT helps farmers in low-income countries improve crop production, incomes, and natural resource management. Its research focuses on sustainable management of tropical soils and policies for coping with challenges including climate change, environmental degradation, and gender inequities. In 2017, CIAT launched the Big Data Platform to provide global leaders with open data, build collaborations, and demonstrate the power of big data analytics to enhance the impact of international agricultural research.
51. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
ICRISAT conducts agricultural research for rural development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa to improve food availability and create and sustain rural livelihoods. It combines crop commodity research, including specialized breeding and integrated genetics, with natural resource management practices. ICRISAT’s Smart Food initiative aims to accelerate and popularize investments and support for the research and development of value chains for millets.
52. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. IFPRI collaborates with partners around the world to conduct research, communicate results, and build capacity to ensure sustainable food production, promote healthy food systems, improve markets and trade, transform agriculture, build resilience, and strengthen institutions and governance.
53. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
IFAD works to eliminate poverty, hunger, and malnutrition in rural populations around the world. By planning and implementing agricultural development projects in developing countries, IFAD invests in rural people, helping to raise their productivity and incomes and ultimately secure an improved and sustainable quality of life.
54. International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM)
IFOAM is comprised of 800 affiliates in more than 100 countries. Its Participatory Guarantee Systems improve transparency regarding different domestic organic standards while also acknowledging a need for diversity and local adaptation.
55. Indonesian Green Action Forum (IGAF)
IGAF engages children, youth, and communities to conserve the environment and participate in sustainable agriculture projects. It has developed and implemented more than 30 “eco-projects” in Indonesia, engaging top universities and schools. These projects address environmental issues, such as deforestation and forest degradation, illegal fishing, climate change, and biodiversity conservation.
56. Inga Foundation
Inga works with farmers and communities in Central America to implement Inga Alley Cropping, an organic and sustainable alternative to slash-and-burn agriculture. Alley Cropping can restore degraded land and protect rainforests from further agriculture-related destruction. Crops are planted between rows of Inga trees, which fix nitrogen and increase soil fertility.
57. Instituto Atá
Atá creates connections and cooperates with local and indigenous producers to share the unique foods of the Amazon rainforest with chefs and consumers. Part of the profits from the sale of these foods goes towards research of the ingredient and its production region.
58. International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food)
IPES-Food wants to inform and promote food system reform. It takes a holistic approach to understanding food system challenges like hunger and biodiversity loss. The initiative combines scientific research with local knowledge and the experience of individuals across the food system to produce policy-relevant information.
59. James Beard Foundation (JBF)
JBF’s mission is to preserve, nurture, and celebrate the diverse culinary heritage of the U.S. Among a variety of events and programs intended to educate, inspire, and entertain, JBF presents the James Beard Award, the highest honor bestowed to American food and beverage professionals.
60. Koanga Institute
Located in New Zealand, the Koanga Institute is a permaculture village with seed saving projects, heritage fruit tree collections, research projects on urban and forest gardening, and education around regenerative living. It holds nationally significant collections of New Zealand heritage food plants, with more than 800 distinct cultivars in their organic seed collection.
61. L.A. Kitchen
L.A. Kitchen works to divert food on its way to being wasted and use it to feed vulnerable community members in Los Angeles, California. They prepare meals in a kitchen processing facility staffed by trainees from their intergenerational culinary job training program for underemployed individuals. Their social enterprise, Strong Food, purchases and processes imperfect produce.
62. Landesa Rural Development Institute (LRDI)
LRDI works to secure land rights for the world’s poorest people, often focusing on land rights for women. They partner with local governments in developing countries to help create laws, policies, and programs to foster social justice, economic growth, and opportunities for the communities.
Based in Encinitas, California, Leichtag Foundation supports programs and educational activities inspired by ancient Jewish traditions that connect people to community, food, the land, and social justice. They are home to a community farm and education center, a co-working space for over 30 nonprofits and social entrepreneurs, and 900,000 square feet of greenhouse space.
Based in Nairobi, Kenya, this nonprofit has three main initiatives: Settlements Interventions Network Africa (SINA), which disseminates knowledge to improve the quality of life in villages, towns, and cities; Operation Firimbi, a whistleblower for land grabbing and a promoter of community well-being; and the Nairobi Food Security, Agriculture, and Livestock Forum (NEFSALF).
65. Modern Farmer
This quarterly American magazine, available online and in print, is devoted to agriculture and food. The publication attempts to balance its rural and urban readership by focusing on the changing face of farming, including features on innovative farmers, food policy, animal agriculture, technology, food security, climate change, and more.
66. More and Better Network (MaB)
MaB is a civil society network of approximately 125 farmers’ and fishers’ organizations and NGOs in 47 countries working together to support agriculture and rural development to eradicate hunger and poverty. MaB also manages an agricultural transition website geared towards agroecology and other forms of sustainable agriculture.
67. Muonde Trust
This team of researchers and community extension agents supports locally driven educational and agricultural programs in Zimbabwe. They use a bottom-up approach of peer-to-peer sharing of practical knowledge and training, strengthening local knowledge, culture, and social networks. Programs include community-based indigenous woodland management, preserving indigenous seed varieties, water harvesting, and sustainable livestock management.
68. National Farmers Union (NFU)
The NFU works to protect and enhance the economic well-being and quality of life for family farmers and ranchers and their rural communities in the U.S. They promote legislation and education beneficial to farmers through a grassroots structure in which policy positions are initiated locally by the 33 state chapters.
69. National FFA Organization (formerly, Future Farmers of America)
FFA is an intracurricular student organization for those interested in the food, fiber, and natural resource industries. FFA is one of the largest youth organizations in the U.S., organizing conferences, conventions, competitions, experiential learning, and online learning experiences through more than 7,500 chapters.
70. National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC)
The NYFC is working to halt and even reverse the decline of family farming in the U.S. by representing, mobilizing, and engaging young farmers. Their policy priorities include improvements to the delivery of federal programming, land access, student loan debt, training, housing, climate and conservation, and racial equity.
71. Natural Gourmet Institute (NGI)
NGI provides health-supportive culinary education to empower chefs, individuals, and communities to be leaders in the conversation about food and wellbeing. They advocate for a sustainable food system that respects natural resources and the people who make each meal possible.
72. Navdanya
Founded by prominent scientist and environmentalist Vandana Shiva, Navdanya is a network of researchers, seed keepers, and organic producers in India. Navdanya has helped set up 122 community seed banks, collecting roughly 5,000 crop varieties, and provided training to more than 500,000 farmers in sustainable farming practices.
73. Niman Ranch Young Farmer 2.0
Niman Ranch, a leader in sustainable agriculture and humane livestock practices in the U.S., launched Young Farmer 2.0 in 2017. The program’s Next Generation Scholarship Fund awards educational scholarships designed to raise awareness around the loss of traditional farming and ranching practices and to ultimately help maintain agriculture opportunities.
74. Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA)
NAMA is a fishermen-led organization working to protect marine diversity and promote social, environmental, economic, and food justice. Through building a network of community-based fishermen, crew, fishworkers, and allies, NAMA advocates for policy and market strategies that advance the rights of small and medium-scale fisherman as well as bring value to marine ecosystems and coastal communities.
75. Oceana
Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization focused solely on ocean conservation. Oceana’s team of scientists work with economists, lawyers, communicators, and advocates across Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America to conduct scientific, fact-based campaigns to help restore and protect the world’s oceans. Since 2001, Oceana has helped protect more than 1 million square miles of ocean habitat.
76. One Acre Fund
This micro-investment organization based in eastern Africa is devoted to helping smallholder farmers become self-reliant. They provide farmers with the resources they need to be successful, including seeds, financing, insurance, risk spreading programs, efficient workable markets, and decent storage facilities.
77. Organic Seed Alliance (OSA)
OSA works to advance ethical seed solutions to meet food and farming needs in a changing world. Each year, they educate thousands of farmers and community members, conduct organic plant breeding and seed production research, and advocate for national policies that strengthen organic seed systems.
78. Oxfam America
Oxfam America is a global organization working to right the wrongs of poverty, hunger, and injustice. As one of 17 members of the international Oxfam confederation, they work with people in more than 90 countries to create lasting solutions. Oxfam develops long-term solutions to poverty and campaigns for social change.
79. OzHarvest
OzHarvest is Australia’s leading food rescue organization, delivering more than 75 million meals and saving 25,000 tons of food from landfill. OzHarvest runs education programs to enhance life skills, increase connectedness, and improve health and nutrition among vulnerable people. They recently opened Australia’s first rescued food supermarket, The OzHarvest Market, which is donation-based.
80. Palestinian Heirloom Seed Library
The Palestinian Heirloom Seed Library preserves rare seed varieties particularly adapted to the West Bank. The library aims to preserve seeds of crops that once grew across historic Palestine, educate farmers about traditional agricultural practices, and safeguard Palestine’s biodiversity.
81. Passion for Pasta Advisory Council
Passion for Pasta Advisory Council is a project of The Barilla Group that brings together scientists, nutritionists, and researchers to encourage sustainable consumption of pasta. They support the position that pasta can be a sustainable and affordable food choice for people of any income level and can help support healthy bodies and healthy environments.
82. Peak Plate
Peak Plate is launching an online platform to empower people who crave sustainable food to find like-minded farmers, chefs, and restaurateurs. Peak Plate is launching “Phase II” in 2018, partnering with farmers, ranchers, fishers, artisan food purveyors, farmers’ markets, grocers, and more to bring consumers the freshest local food.
The Rainforest Alliance seeks to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices, and consumer behavior. Their sustainable agriculture certification program conducts supply chain training, certification, and verification in 78 countries. It aims to protect biodiversity, forests, and waterways, reduce agrochemical use, and safeguard workers and communities.
84. Real Food Media
Real Food Media is an online library that aims to inspire through stories and films from the frontlines of the food movement. Their latest project is Real Food Reads, a monthly podcast which delivers a fresh book idea and discussion with the author, as well as recipe pairings.
85. ReFED
ReFED is a data-driven guide for businesses, government, funders, and nonprofits to collectively reduce food waste at scale. Through extensive research, ReFED has identified 27 of the best opportunities to reduce food waste across the U.S. and developed a range of tools to help efficiently and effectively reduce food waste from multiple points in the food chain.
86. SAVE FOOD
The SAVE FOOD initiative aims to encourage dialogue between industry, research, politics, and civil society on food losses. By regularly bringing together stakeholders across the entire food supply chain, SAVE FOOD aims to stimulate debate in order to drive innovation and generate food-saving solutions from field to fork.
87. Save Our Soils
The Save Our Soils campaign was initiated by Nature & More to raise consumer awareness about the importance of soil for our health, food security, and climate. By raising the urgency of the problem of soil degradation, the campaign aims to encourage consumers to eat and buy organic food and to garden organically.
Founded by Frances Moore Lappé and Anna Lappé, Small Planet Fund provides grants up to US$10,000 to visionary social movements and grassroots organizations working to transform the global food system. They also offer six types of strategic grants, including seed, emergency, leverage, impact, visibility, and multiplier grants for opportunities that offer the biggest impact.
89. Soil Association
Based in the U.K., the Soil Association has been identifying links between farming practices and the health of humans, plants, animals, and ecosystems for more than 50 years. Today, the organization works closely with communities to create and inspire trust in organic farming methods and the food that they produce.
90. Soils, Food and Healthy Communities (SFHC)
SFHC is a participatory, farmer-led organization that uses local indigenous knowledge and agroecological methods to improve food security and nutrition in Malawi. Using a farmer-to-farmer approach, SFHC promotes agroecological farming methods and the use of local crop varieties to increase soil fertility and crop yields.
91. Square Roots
This urban farming accelerator in New York City builds vertical hydroponic farms in shipping containers. Entrepreneurial students at the accelerator grow spray-free leafy greens in indoor farms in the heart of Brooklyn and deliver their products directly to the offices of customers. The accelerator graduated its first class of students in 2017.
92. Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture
Stone Barns is a nonprofit farm and educational center in New York with a partner restaurant, Blue Hill at Stone Barns. With a focus on fostering young farmers, the Center serves as a working laboratory for experimentation, testing, and development of new tools, methods, crops, and animals to support resilient and regenerative agriculture.
93. Sustainable Agriculture & Gardening Eurobodalla (SAGE)
SAGE is working to build a sustainable fair food economy in New South Wales, Australia. To “grow the growers,” SAGE operates a market garden with demonstrations on how to grow crops at home and provides an internship program for aspiring farmers. Internship graduates go on to serve SAGE’s award-winning Farmers’ Market with locally grown produce.
94. Sustainable Food Trust (SFT)
Based in the U.K., SFT promotes international cooperation between policymakers, businesses, and civil society organizations to accelerate the transition to regenerative and harmonious food and farming systems. SFT influences and enhances the work of other food system leaders, advocates for better policy and practice, and provides a range of informative articles on their website.
95. Sustainable Harvest International (SHI)
With programs in Belize, Honduras, and Panama, SHI aims to preserve the environment by partnering with families to improve their wellbeing through regenerative farming. SHI has two decades of experience training farmers to transition to regenerative agriculture and is seeking to expand their programs to have a global effect.
96. The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for Agriculture and Food (TEEBAgriFood)
Lead by the U.N. Environment Programme, this initiative brings together collaborations of scientists, economists, policymakers, business leaders, and farmer organizations in order to examine the food system. They undertake a comprehensive economic evaluation of agricultural systems, practices, products, and policy scenarios against a comprehensive range of impacts and dependencies.
97. The George Washington University Food Institute
The GW Food Institute brings together a wide range of scholars to focus on the science and technology of food, health and nutrition, policy, justice, the business and economics of providing food, and food citizenship and leadership. The Institute is home to The Food Policy Leadership Institute, a primarily distance-learning certificate program.
98. The Good Kitchen
The Good Kitchen is a U.K.-based accelerator program that supports social enterprise startups with funding, business training, and mentorship so that more innovative ideas may reach the market. The Good Kitchen announced its first cohort of five social enterprises to receive backing in spring of 2017.
99. The Kitchen Community (TKC)
TKC was founded to support children’s opportunities to play, learn, and grow in healthy communities. To create healthier environments in underserved schools, TKC builds Learning Gardens that incorporate vegetable gardens and hands-on outdoor classrooms. TKC is the largest school garden organization in North America, impacting 250,000 kids across six major metropolitan regions.
100. The Land Institute
The Land Institute is committed to accelerating polyculture farming solutions and promotes growing food in tandem with nature, changing modern agricultural practices which cause soil erosion and degradation. Polyculture is the farming practice of using multiple crops within the same space, promoting biodiversity by emulating natural ecosystems.
This progressive family foundation supports organizations advancing human rights and conserving the natural environment. They support projects focusing specifically on biodiversity conservation in Latin America, sustainable production and consumption in the U.S., and international environmental movement building.
102. The Truth Fund
Founded by Boston Celtics captain Paul Pierce, The Truth Fund’s Truth on Health Campaign seeks to empower and encourage young people to live healthier lifestyles. Part awareness campaign and part sustainable programming, the initiative promotes incorporating physical fitness and healthy eating into daily life.
103. Think.Eat.Save
Think.Eat.Save is a collaborative initiative of the U.N. Environment Programme, U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, and other international organizations. It works to reverse food loss and food waste by providing consumers, retailers, leaders, and the community with advice and ways to take action to limit wasteful practices.
104. Toast Ale
This U.K.-based company is brewing beer from leftover bread that would otherwise be wasted, including unsold loaves from bakeries and unused crusts from sandwich makers. Toast Ale directs 100 percent of its profits to funding Feedback, an international charity dedicated to ending food waste on a systemic level.
105. Trove
Founded by Sam Kass, former White House Chef and Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition, Trove collaborates with corporations involved with transforming health, the climate, and the planet through food. They serve as strategic advisors, investors, and communication strategists to help innovative food companies achieve greater impact.
106. Twantoh Mixed Farming Common Initiative Group (MIFACIG)
MIFACIG is based in Cameroon and promotes sustainable development and environmental protection through diversified agro-forestry activities in the hopes of alleviating poverty. The organization established a learning resource center for farmers, extension agents, and students, which trains women, vulnerable groups, and youth.
107. Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)
UCS combines scientific research and advocacy to develop innovative and practical solutions for pressing environmental and social problems, from combating climate change to developing science-based sustainable farming methods. USC’s food and agriculture programs include expanding healthy food access, advancing sustainable agriculture, and strengthening healthy food policy.
108. West and Central Africa Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD)
CORAF/WECARD works with 23 national agricultural research systems in West and Central Africa to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of small farmers and promote agribusiness. It develops new technologies and innovations, collects and dispenses agricultural data, strengthens and coordinates agricultural systems, and gives policy options to encourage agricultural growth.
109. WhyHunger
WhyHunger works to end hunger and poverty by connecting people to nutritious, affordable food and by supporting grassroots solutions to promote self-reliance and community empowerment. Their programs include a hotline to connect those in need with resources and initiatives to advance international food sovereignty and the basic rights to food, land, water, and sustainable livelihoods.
110. Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network (WFEN)
WFEN is a global community dedicated to the development and marketing of products that conserve threatened wildlife while contributing to the economic vitality of rural communities. WFEN’s mission is to protect wildlife in wild places by certifying enterprises which assure people and nature coexist and thrive.
111. World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)
ICRAF supports the development of agroforestry policies and practices to stimulate agricultural growth, raise farmers’ incomes, and protect the environment across the globe. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, the Center is the world’s largest repository of agroforestry science and information, with programs spanning Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
112. World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fish Workers (WFF)
WFF represents 41 organizations of traditional small-scale fishing communities across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. WFF aims to empower small-scale fishers’ organizations to influence both national and international policies that affect their rights of access, use and control, and sustainability of fisheries resources.
113. World Resources Institute (WRI)
WRI is a global research organization which covers more than 50 countries and some of the most pressing and common global resource issues. The Institute has six major focuses at the environment and development nexus: climate, energy, food, forests, water, and cities and transport.
The WRF is a forum for the analysis and observation of rural development. The WRF has established agreements with universities, educational research centers, farmers’ associations, and NGOs. This work enables reliable information regarding analyzing the problems of farmers, ranchers, and rural residents throughout the world, and developing proposals for action.
The Center works to reduce poverty and malnutrition in the developing world by increasing production of and access to a variety of vegetables that provide essential micronutrients. They work with private and public sector partners to strike an effective balance between research for new technologies and the effective development and deployment of those technologies.
116. YieldWise
YieldWise is an initiative at The Rockefeller Foundation with the goal of halving food loss and waste globally over seven years. They are supporting coordination, partnerships, and the infrastructure required to unify existing efforts, raise awareness, provide tools to take action, and develop new solutions.
117. Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD)
YPARD is an international movement by young professionals, for young professionals. YPARD’s mission is to serve as a global collective platform through which young professionals can realize their full potential and contribute proactively toward innovative agricultural development.
118. Youth Food Movement Australia (YFM)
YFM aims to increase millennial food literacy levels and participation in the food system. Since 2011, YFM has delivered more than 40 projects, harnessing more than 60,000 volunteer hours to address food issues such as food waste, the aging farming population, and soil degradation.
