Renewing our Vision, Mission, and Values
By Genevieve Taylor
Dear Friends,
In 2021, the board and staff of Ag Innovations took time to reflect on our vision, mission, and values — and our future direction.
We took time to talk to an array of partners new and old, including farmers, agencies, NGOs, foundations, and the corporate world. We asked, “What’s deeply needed from Ag Innovations in this unique moment?” a question inspired by our past President Joseph McIntyre, who used to ask, “What’s deeply needed?” of our groups often.
We discussed this moment of political polarization, global pandemic, and extreme weather events like the drought we currently face. We talked about how important farmers are in providing food, jobs, and managing so much of the incredible natural and working lands that California is blessed with. We spoke of the importance of lifting up all needs in communities in order to create long-lasting solutions.
During this process, we refined our mission.
We’ve considered the breadth and depth of our work, and we feel that we are on the right track.
Our current work ranges from working with the State of California to bring together diverse groups to help develop future direction around Farm to School and Sustainable Pest Management, to fostering energetic collaboration around water stewardship, ag, and food, to bridging between communities and public agencies on controversial topics.
For over 20 years, Ag Innovations has held a unique role: that of a third party facilitator who works side by side with the organizations, sectors, and communities of California to bring about new thinking and solutions.
With our renewed vision, mission, values, and fantastic team, we feel primed to fulfill our goals.
We hope you will invite us to help you foster the relationships, actions, and ideas needed to ensure a future where “California’s people and places are healthy and resilient.”
Take a look at our About Us page to learn more. Thank you for all you do!
Our New Mission Statement
Ag Innovations facilitates collaboration among diverse groups to develop holistic solutions to California’s most complex agricultural, natural resource and environmental challenges.
Our New Vision Statement
Bridging to a Thriving Future
We envision a future where California’s people and places are healthy and resilient in the face of a rapidly changing climate. Communities are creative and effective in how they steward the natural and agricultural systems that we all depend on, and work together across rural and urban divides.
We strive for a future where people come to the table to work together and find common ground, whether it’s in the barn or in the conference room. Diverse voices are sought out, and while they may not agree on everything, people leave conversations energized and ready to lead collaboration towards new solutions for a long and thriving future.
Our New Values Statement
We are dedicated to:
- Creating long-lasting, effective change by helping our groups think systemically.
- Seeking multi-benefit, generative solutions that support communities, farms, ranches, forests and natural lands in order to improve our ability to adapt to changing conditions in the future.
- Designing and facilitating our processes to be welcoming, inclusive, and diverse, to see clearly the historic patterns and relationships that keep things the way they are, and to lift up and care for all voices and all needs.
- Striving to courageously and skillfully address issues of power, race, and inequity with our groups and in our organization.
