Mission & Services
Who are we?
Ag Innovations Network (AIN) is a leader in the effort to create a vibrant, healthy, and enduring food system. Since the early 1990’s we have worked with farmers, ranchers, farm labor advocates and environmentalists to devise strategies that support healthy farms and a healthy environment. We focus primarily on creating leadership consensus, community support, and public policies that are needed to move us toward a better food system.
Our Mission
The mission of AIN is to facilitate communities and organizations in working to create an economically viable, environmentally sound and socially equitable food system.
Our mission includes enhancing the long-term sustainability of communities by assisting agriculture in fulfilling its essential role as the keystone in a healthy eco-system, economy, and society. We ask the questions that help groups understand the root causes of the current crises in agriculture and discover solutions to the crises that:
- Preserve viable agriculture and food systems
- Increase the awareness of the importance and value of a healthy agriculture industry to the future of a sustainable society
- Improve the health and quality of life for those that work the land
- Reduce the friction between farmers and ranchers, governments, and the general public
Our Vision
An international food systems alliance: A broad network of citizen councils working independently and collectively to galvanize change at the county, state, national, and international levels.
Our Expertise
- Creating and facilitating public processes that bring together divergent groups with a stake in agriculture to find common ground and implement solutions that address local needs.
- Helping agriculture-related organizations plan for the turbulent future of increased global competition, environmental regulation, climate change, and ever-changing demands of the market.
- Training individuals and organizations in the tools needed to create a healthy food system. This includes systems thinking, stakeholder engagement, and facilitation.
What We Do
The AIN offers its services to non-profits, formal and informal community groups, businesses, and government. We add value in three major areas:
Facilitating Change
Our skilled team of facilitators can help historically deadlocked parties engage in a meaningful dialog and ultimately a sustainable solution. Combining our knowledge of agricultural innovation with skilled process management, we help communities to agree on and organize around effective responses to today’s challenges.
Strategic Planning
We work with organizations and enterprises to develop the concepts, strategies and plans they need to cope with the incredible complexity of the global food system. Using a “reality-based” approach, we help clarify the imperatives driving change and viable options for success. We also provide classic organizational development support that increase capabilities and improve productivity.
Training
We offer a suite of training programs that can be tailored to individual needs. We also develop custom training in our areas of experience. Current offerings include basic and advanced facilitation training, multi-stakeholder collaboration and systems thinking.