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| The Land Institute | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Land Institute |
| Type | Nonprofit research organization |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Founder | Wes Jackson |
| Headquarters | Salina, Kansas |
| Area served | International |
| Focus | Perennial agriculture, agroecology, sustainable agriculture |
The Land Institute is a nonprofit research organization founded in 1976 by Wes Jackson in Salina, Kansas. The institute conducts long-term experimental work on perennial polycultures, perennial grains, and ecosystem-based agriculture, aiming to transform industrial agriculture and landscape management toward resilient prairie-based systems. It is internationally known for developing perennial grain crops such as Kernza and for collaborations with universities, nonprofits, and private industry.
Wes Jackson established the organization after work at Knox College and involvement in the Sioux Falls-era discussions about soil conservation and the Dust Bowl. Early collaborators included Ellen Swallow Richards-inspired reformers and agronomists from Iowa State University, Kansas State University, and the Land Grant university network. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s the institute partnered with researchers from University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography-linked scientists studying ecosystem services. In the 2000s and 2010s it expanded collaborations with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, the Rockefeller Foundation, and international centers such as the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center and the International Food Policy Research Institute.
The institute's mission emphasizes creating perennial polyculture systems modeled on the North American tallgrass prairie and other native grassland biomes. Influences on its philosophical framework include thinkers and movements such as Barry Commoner, Rachel Carson, and the Sustainable Food Trust-style advocates, as well as the regenerative practices promoted by Aldo Leopold and the conservation biology community from institutions like the Nature Conservancy. The institute frames its work within debates involving green revolution legacies, land-use change studied by IPCC assessments, and calls for agroecological transitions debated in forums such as the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Rodale Institute conferences.
Research programs integrate plant breeding, agroecology, systems ecology, and landscape-scale restoration. The institute operates long-term field trials, genetic selection programs, and modeling projects with partners such as University of Minnesota, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Cornell University, and the Southeast Asian Rice Research Center. Projects include perennial cereal breeding, soil carbon sequestration monitoring aligned with protocols from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidance, and biodiversity assessments comparable to studies by Smithsonian Institution researchers. The organization has hosted visiting scholars from Harvard University, Stanford University, and Oxford University and collaborated with private-sector innovators such as General Mills and regional seed companies.
A flagship outcome is the domestication of intermediate wheatgrass marketed as Kernza, developed through breeding partnerships with University of Minnesota, the USDA Agricultural Research Service, and commercial partners like Patagonia Provisions. Kernza breeding draws on germplasm collections similar to those maintained by the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and shares methods with perennial cereal work at CIMMYT and ICARDA. Trials have evaluated Kernza for grain yield, root biomass, and ecosystem services alongside comparative studies of annual wheat varieties from Kansas State University and Montana State University. The crop has entered food systems via bakeries linked to Whole Foods Market-style supply chains and research kitchens at University of California, Davis.
Field work emphasizes perennial polycultures, intercropping, and soil-building practices echoing restoration projects led by The Nature Conservancy, prairie restorations coordinated with National Park Service units, and watershed-scale initiatives like those of the NRCS. Monitoring protocols align with biodiversity metrics used by Audubon Society studies and carbon accounting approaches used by Conservation International. The institute has published comparative analyses mirroring studies from Rodale Institute and researchers at Yale University on soil organic matter, erosion control, and pollinator habitat enhancement.
Outreach includes workshops, farmer training, and academic exchanges involving partners such as Iowa State University Extension, Kansas Department of Agriculture, and international programs coordinated with CGIAR centers. Educational initiatives have connected with curricula at Colorado State University, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and community colleges across the Great Plains, and provided materials for civic groups like Sierra Club. The institute maintains collaborative networks with food companies, seed enterprises, and nonprofit organizations, and participates in conferences such as the Ecological Society of America annual meeting and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements events.
Funding sources have included private foundations such as the Hewlett Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, government grants from the National Science Foundation and the USDA, and philanthropic donations tied to supporters of prairie conservation like the McKnight Foundation. Governance comprises a board of directors with agricultural scientists, conservationists, and nonprofit leaders drawn from institutions including Cornell University, University of Kansas, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. The organization coordinates licensing and seed distribution through agreements with public breeding programs and private seed companies resembling public–private partnerships practiced at Land Grant universities.
Category:Nonprofit organizations based in Kansas Category:Agricultural research organizations