Crop diversity is disappearing, and the Global Crop Diversity Trust is the sole worldwide funding organization dedicated to its conservation. The Trust itself is operating in a unique political “window of opportunity,” following the entering into force of the new International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources, and has partnered with all the important organizations in this field. The Trust offers a unique opportunity to put in place a rational and cost-effective system for the conservation of the resources which underpin all agriculture and the world’s future food supplies.
The Pollinator Partnership’s mission is to promote the health of pollinators through conservation, education, and research. Signature initiatives include the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC), Pollinator Week, the S.H.A.R.E. Program (Simply Have Areas Reserved for the Environment) and the Ecoregional Planting Guides. Established in 1997, Pollinator Partnership (P2) is the largest 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to the health, protection, and conservation of pollinating animals. Please visit www.pollinator.org to learn more.
Quail Springs Permaculture is an educational and land stewardship nonprofit organization dedicated to demonstrating and teaching holistic ways of designing human environments, restoring and revitalizing the land and community, and facilitating deeper understandings of ourselves and one another through immersive experiences in nature. Quail Springs integrates permaculture design into farm development and land stewardship, sponsors educational courses, and creates ecological business models that share permaculture design with the greater community. We believe that lasting ecological health and social harmony can be fostered through emphasizing the connection between people, food, shelter, energy, and water.
Ron Finley’s newest endeavor is “HQ,” an urban garden in South Central Los Angeles that will serve as an example of a well-balanced, fruit-and-veggie oasis – called “HQ.” Inspired by the idea of turning unused space such as parkways and vacant lots into fruitful endeavors, this garden and gathering place will be a community hub, where people learn about nutrition and join together to plant, work and unwind. HQ will create a myriad of jobs for local residents, and this plot of land will be a self-sufficient ecosystem of gardening, education, cooking, business learning and management. The community will get their hands dirty together, shovel together, work together and be healthy together. While not a nonprofit, it is a social enterprise–business in the public interest.
The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. Since 1971, Xerces has protected thousands of acres of habitat for endangered butterflies and aquatic insects, produced ground-breaking publications on insect conservation, trained over 20,000 farmers and public land managers to restore habitat, and raised awareness about the essential role invertebrates play in our forests, prairies, deserts, and oceans. Policy changes we championed in USDA conservation programs have led to the creation and restoration of over 120,000 acres of wildflower habitat for bees on farms.
