The Way Forward

Reinventing our food system will also remaker our health care system. - Jeff Tkach

RODALE INSTITUTE has always been preparing for the future that is now here. For more than 75 years, we have been conducting agricultural research and supporting organic farmers in many ways. We’ve been focused on building a food system that nourishes healthy people and a healthy planet. Today, we all see more clearly than ever that our health is directly linked to the quality of the food we eat. We’re also recognizing the damage that industrial, chemical-dependent agriculture is wreaking on the environment and our well-being.

Regenerative organic farming is the only response to these challenges we face as individuals and as a society. Rodale Institute scientists are finding the connections between healthy, biologically active soil and growing nutrient-dense vegetables (details on page 6). They’re also shining light on how regenerative organic practices can help counteract the destruction caused by the greenhouse gas emissions produced by conventional agricultural methods. (See page 28.) Thanks to support from donors like you, we tirelessly research the most effective methods for farmers to be successful. Your generous funding is vital to our critical work.

A Simple Equation

Our mission has been clear from the start: Healthy Soil = Healthy Food = Healthy People. To chart our course, we’ve set a goal of adding 1 million acres of farmland to regenerative organic production by 2035. And we’re on our way. In just the last few years, our team of organic consultants have helped more than 1,000 new and existing farmers to implement organic methods and earn their USDA organic certification. On page 10, you’ll meet a couple of farmers in central New Jersey who are transforming their land and building a community of organic producers around them with the support of the Rodale Institute consulting team.

The average age of American farmers is 58 and trending upward, so we’re focused on educating the next generation of agricultural entrepreneurs through our Rodale Institute Farmer Training (RIFT) program. These new food producers, many of whom are veterans of military service, are diverse in their ages, backgrounds, experiences, and plans, yet they are energized by the transformative power of regenerative organic farming for themselves, their families, and their communities. On page 16, you’ll meet Rob Younkins, who found a fresh mission after facing combat in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Reinventing our food system will also remake our health care system. At our third Regenerative Healthcare Conference in September 2024, doctors and other medical professionals joined farmers to explore the connections between the soil and human and planetary health. Presentations included such topics as prescribing organic food as medicine and the hazards of food grown with toxic chemicals. As you can see on page 20, we’re partnering with a senior-living community to develop a new model for any institution that cares for people.

You’ll learn all about Rodale Institute’s efforts as you turn the pages of this publication. I hope you’ll be inspired by the stories of people who are working to advance our cause every day. By lending your support, you are part of the movement to ensure access to healthy food, a safe environment, and the reinvigoration of the nation’s agricultural economy and farming as a profession. You are helping to build the way forward to a brighter future for all. We are thankful for your commitment to helping us heal the world through the power of regenerative organic agriculture.

- Jeff Tkach CEO, Rodale Institute