Skip to content
Winrock International

Rodney Ferguson Speaks at Concordia Film Premiere: Campaign for a Sustainable Global Food Supply

Concordia Short Film Features Winrock's Wallace Center

President and CEO Rodney Ferguson delivered remarks at the film premiere of the Concordia Campaign for a Sustainable Global Food Supply, which features Winrock’s Wallace Center and Wallace Center Director Dr. John Fisk.

“Winrock supports sustainable agriculture in the United States. We have commodity support programs, technical assistance programs all over the world. We also have thriving practices in environmental sustainability including clean energy as well as civil society development.

I grew up on a small farm in rural Alabama…so I’m very familiar with the challenges small farmers face — of improving your own livelihood, trying to do what’s right environmentally, trying to feed a community. It’s daunting.

Winrock’s Wallace Center is all about working with small farmers in the United States to improve their lot across the board — to improve their ability to make a living, to improve livelihoods, to improve access to markets and to improve those markets.

That’s the part we don’t talk about as much. But the magic of Winrock’s Wallace Center is we focus on a systemic look at the smallholder agriculture market horizontally and vertically. We help farmers in the country access markets, improve their practices, understand and navigate a regulatory environment that was not built for them. It was built for industrial agriculture. It’s something that any small business owner understands intuitively -— that the system was never built for them and yet they’re expected to master that system if they are to succeed in creating economic value for their families. That’s what Winrock’s Wallace Center does, among other things.

We partnered with our colleagues at Concordia on the Campaign for a Sustainable Global Food Supply. This is very close to our hearts because we often talk about international development — Winrock is unique in that we take the international part very seriously. For us, international means everything from Little Rock, Arkansas, to the rural areas of Indonesia and Bangladesh.

The problems facing small farmers all over the world are alarmingly similar to those that American farmers face.”

-Rodney Ferguson

 

Related Projects

Sign reads "Locally Grown Foods Sold Here"

Capacity for Food Chains

Communities that most need healthy and affordable food options often have the fewest choices. The Wallace Center at Winrock International collaborates with vulnerable communities to establish value chains that make nutritious and local food available to everyone. This happens through training, mentoring, peer-to-peer learning opportunities and by fostering collaboration between organizations committed to delivering the…

Regional Food Systems Development

The local food movement is improving the health, economies and environment of communities around the country. But for the benefits of healthy and sustainably grown food to reach more Americans, changes throughout the food chain are required. The Wallace Center’s National Good Food Network helps build regional food hubs that allow all participants in the…
People planting vegetables

Strengthening Sustainable Farming and Local Food Systems

Consumer demand for sustainably grown local food is an unprecedented opportunity for family farmers. To take full advantage of the opportunity, small farmers are increasingly working with food hubs — enterprises that utilize cooperative aggregation, distribution and marketing strategies. The Wallace Center at Winrock International works to develop and strengthen food hubs that help small…

Building a Maryland Food Hub Network

American consumers increasingly recognize that locally grown food is not only fresh and delicious, but also provides communities important environmental and economic benefits. The Wallace Center at Winrock International is collaborating with farmers, wholesalers, distributors and other partners in Maryland to meet the state’s burgeoning demand for local food through food hubs. By delivering collective…

Building Capacity for Regional Food Systems

Increasing awareness that local food is nutritious and good for both the environment and the economy has propelled the growth of regional food economies. In order to encourage more investment in regional food systems and sustainable agriculture, it’s important to showcase the benefits to local economies and communities. This program seeks to build awareness by…

Wallace Center

The Wallace Center supports entrepreneurs and communities as they build a new, 21st century food system that is healthier for people, the environment and the economy. The demand for locally produced food is strong, growing and often outstrips the ability of small farmers to keep up. Through research, education and technical assistance, The Wallace Center…