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Winrock International

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Winrock International is a nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to increase economic opportunity, sustain natural resources, and protect the environment.[1] Based in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Washington, D.C., Winrock is named for Winthrop Rockefeller, who served as the 37th governor of Arkansas.[2][3]

History

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In 1953, Winthrop Rockefeller founded Winrock Enterprises and Winrock Farms in Morrilton, Arkansas.[3][4] Winrock Farms served as a model facility to test and demonstrate agricultural practices that other farmers could emulate.[5]

After his death, Rockefeller's trustees created the Winrock International Livestock Research and Training Center.[3][6] In 1985, the center merged with two other Rockefeller organizations—the Agricultural Development Council (founded by John D. Rockefeller III) and the International Agricultural Development Service (founded by the Rockefeller Foundation).[3][7][8][9] The newly merged organization became known as Winrock International.[3][6]

Initiatives

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Winrock's projects are focused on four main areas: agriculture,[10] economic development,[11][12] energy and environment,[13][14][15][16][17][18] and human and social capital.[19][20] More than 95% of the organization's funding comes from the U.S. government, primarily the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Winrock initiatives include:

  • The American Carbon Registry, the first private, voluntary greenhouse-gas registry.[21][22][6]
  • The Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, a makerspace that provides facilities, technology, support and equipment for entrepreneurs, artists and makers.[23][24]
  • Farmer-to-Farmer, a USAID-funded program that sends American agricultural experts to the developing world to provide technical assistance to farmers, agribusinesses, and other groups involved with food production.[25][26][27][6]
  • Innovate Arkansas, a project funded by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission that helps the state's technology entrepreneurs move from the startup phase to commercial viability.[28][29]
  • Wallace Center, which was founded in 1983 as the Institute for Alternative Agriculture. Today, the Wallace Center (now named for former Secretary of Agriculture, Henry A. Wallace) brings together diverse people and ideas to co-create solutions that build healthy farms, equitable economies, and resilient food systems. The organization strives to remain a power-shifting intermediary, stepping in where there’s an invitation to serve, and urging others toward a more diverse and connected food system where sustainable farming is vibrant and thriving.[30]

In 1995, Winrock's Forestry and Natural Resource Management Program absorbed the Nitrogen Fixing Tree Association (NFTA), formed in 1981, and renamed it the Forest, Farm, and Community Tree Network (FACT Net) in 1996; though FACT Net ceased operation at the end of 1999, all material is maintained online by the Forestry and Natural Resource Management Program, including clarifications and errata of FACT sheets issued prior to closing of FACT Net.[31]

References

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  1. ^ Laurie, Mary. "Winrock International - Encyclopedia of Arkansas". The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  2. ^ Kirk, John (26 January 2017). "The life of Winthrop Rockefeller". Arkansas Times. Arkansas Times. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e Walsh, John (1984). "Nonprofits That Cultivate Development Are Merging". Science. 226 (4677). Science Magazine: 952. doi:10.1126/science.226.4677.952.a. PMID 17737342. S2CID 239814990. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  4. ^ Higgins, Donald. "Petit Jean Mountain". The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  5. ^ Payne, Cassie. "Winrock Farms: At home in Arkansas". Progressive Cattleman. Progressive Cattleman. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d "Farmer-to-Farmer International Leader". Arkansas Times. Arkansas Times. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  7. ^ "Sterling Wortman". Rockefeller Foundation. Rockefeller Foundation. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  8. ^ Daniels, Lee (30 September 1992). "Arthur Mosher, 82, International Expert On Agricultural Aid". The New York Times. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  9. ^ Griffith, Susan (12 March 2012). "Wharton, Jr., Clifton Reginald (1926- )". BlackPast.org. BlackPast.org. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  10. ^ Mendoza, Naki. "Myanmar's journey to specialty coffee and its lessons for smallholder farmers". Devex. Devex. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  11. ^ Menur, Ansia. "Smart Fish Feeder eFishery Enters Bangladesh and Thailand, Secured 300 Users in Indonesia". Yahoo.com. Yahoo News. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  12. ^ "Feed the Future Through USAID and Winrock International Launch Innovation Challenge to Bring New Technologies to Smallholder Farmers". USAID. USAID. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  13. ^ Rogers, Kelli. "Winrock connects the dots between illegal logging and climate change". Devex. Devex. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  14. ^ "Second Renewable Energy Stakeholder Forum". USAID. USAID. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  15. ^ Jain, Neha (2 March 2017). "Deforestation vs. Degradation: How we underestimate tropical forest greenhouse gas emissions". Mongabay. Mongabay. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  16. ^ Rogers, Kelli. "Development actors bet on political power shift to save Cambodia's forgotten forest". Devex. Devex. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  17. ^ Warren, Chris. "Water from the Sun: Solar-Powered Water Pumps Offer African Farmers a Way Out of Poverty". Green Tech Media. Green Tech Media. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  18. ^ Warren, Chris. "In Nigeria, a Template for Solar-Powered Minigrids Emerges". Green Tech Media. Green Tech Media. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  19. ^ "USAID Announces New Project to Counter Trafficking in Persons in Asia". USAID. USAID. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  20. ^ Chandran, Rina (22 December 2017). "From Cambodia to India, Job Matching Sites and Mobile Apps Take Aim at Trafficking". Reuters. Reuters. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  21. ^ Jared, George (14 June 2017). "Arkansas Rice Farmers Among the First in the U.S. to Receive Carbon Credits for Sustainable Practices". Talk Business and Politics. Talk Business and Politics. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  22. ^ Bjerga, Alan (26 April 2017). "How U.S. Rice Farmers Could Slash Their Emissions (and Costs)". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  23. ^ Brown, Jeffery (30 May 2018). "Who becomes an inventor? This Arkansas innovation hub is trying to spark a new generation". PBS.org. Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  24. ^ "Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub: What We Do". arjun.org. Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub.
  25. ^ "The John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer Program". USAID.gov. USAID. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  26. ^ Marshall, Sam. "NC State Extension in Guinea: A Volunteer Experience". NCSU.edu. North Carolina State University. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  27. ^ Hehemann, Will. "UAPB Extension Specialist Teaches Young Farmers in Bangladesh". uapb.edu. The Commercial.
  28. ^ Brawner, Steve (16 June 2016). "Winrock International, Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub Merge; Governor Praises the Move". TalkBusiness.net. Talk Business and Politics. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  29. ^ Cater, Mark. "Innovate Arkansas Helping Build Tech Startup Scene". ArkansasBusiness.com. Arkansas Business. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  30. ^ Center, Wallace. "About the Wallace Center". wallacecenter.org. Wallace Center. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  31. ^ "FACT Net News: Number 3". Winrock International Forestry and Natural Resource Management Program. September 1999. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
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