Kellogg Foundation, Rodale Institute support farmer training, climate change impact research projects

The Rodale Institute has begun a collaborative program that will bear global and regional benefits. Support for an interactive leadership symposium will help vulnerable communities in many nations to mitigate the impact of climate change, while an on-farm research network will advance knowledge of soil-building techniques for farmers and agriculture Extension professionals in southeastern Pennsylvania.

The year-long effort concludes in December (2010) and is funded by a $50,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Michigan.

“Rodale Institute has a history of catalyzing biologically based agricultural solutions in the U.S. and many global locations,” said Alison Grantham, research manager at the Rodale Institute. “This program supports critical collaborations to take pro-active leadership to respond to the unfolding impacts of climate change in a diverse set of communities, and empowers farmers in our own region to make more strategic use of soil-building crops to their farm’s ecological footprint.”

At “The 2050 Scenario–Hot, Crowded and Resource Challenged,” Kellogg Fellows with expertise in agriculture and other relevant fields interacted with communities in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Participants left equipped to empower their home communities to create innovative solutions that incorporate sustainability and regenerative practices.

In the Mid-Atlantic regional project, the cooperating farmers in PA, NJ, MD and NY will experiment with cover crops and cover crop-based no-till systems. These techniques will reduce herbicide and fertilizer inputs, critical steps in preserving watershed integrity. Farmers will share their experiences with each other and with Extension personnel. Rodale Institute staff will coach the farmers in the use of the cover crop roller-crimper tool, which was developed at the Institute.

This Kellogg Foundation-funded program builds on the Institute’s history of helping communities implement organic farming  techniques to address specific impacts of global warming. Cover crops are a key agronomic component of The Rodale Institute Farming System Trial ®, now in its 29th year. The foundational role of cover crops in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program is well covered in the Institute’s free online Organic Transition Course.

Established in 1930, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation supports children, families, and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society.

Rodale Institute is a non-profit organization committed to improve the health of people and the planet through organic agriculture research, development, and outreach to farmers, policymakers, and the general public.