The Wallace Center at Winrock International brings together diverse people and ideas to co-create solutions that build healthy farms, fair economies, and resilient food systems.
Our vision is that all communities have the power to nourish themselves and regenerate ecosystems through just food and agriculture systems.
At the heart of these systems are dynamic networks of people connected through interdependent relationships with each other and the land. We seek to affect systems change to bring benefits to the environment, to communities, and to the farmers and food businesses that are the building blocks of a healthy and just food system.
In 2000, the Wallace Center merged to become a unit of Winrock International, a 501c3 non-profit organization with the mission to empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity, and sustain natural resources around the world. The Wallace Center draws from Winrock’s diverse global teams and administrative capacity to enhance and accelerate our partnerships and projects across the U.S.
Healthy Farms
Agricultural and other working lands must be managed regeneratively to achieve the balanced environmental, economic, and social solutions needed for our current challenges. Healthy farms, thriving rural communities, and diverse ecosystems are the foundation of food system resiliency. The Wallace Center works with farmers, land managers, and those that support them to develop and scale innovative farming solutions that prioritize diversity and cooperation. Connecting regenerative farming and land management practices to equitable value chains helps the Wallace Center build lasting solutions for ecosystem health and climate change mitigation.
Resilient Food Systems
The Wallace Center works across food value chains to build resilient and equitable food systems where all people have access to culturally appropriate food, health, and opportunity. We take a systems approach to facilitating networks, building relationships, and nurturing community-based leadership. We cultivate relationships of trust and solidarity among food systems leaders – at the local, regional, and national level – and provide platforms for sharing knowledge and skill, building collective power, and acting collaboratively to transform the food system.
Fair Economies
Democratized, regional food systems – rooted in multi-generational strategies for community ownership – create vibrant and diverse economies that build wealth. The Wallace Center has long supported local food hubs and radiating value-chains as ways to build these economies. As we evolve to meet the needs of our communities, our work is leveraging tools and strategies in equitable finance and innovation to build and uplift food systems change.