KEYSTONE 21 is a partnership between the College of Agricultural Science at Pennsylvania State University, the Commonwealth Education System within Pennsylvania State University, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, and the Rodale Institute Experimental Farm.

Rodale Institute Experimental Farm
Rodale Institute's mission is to work with people worldwide to produce and eat healthy food while preserving and renewing tomorrow's resources. This mission is achieved through applied research, education and training, communication media, development of information exchange networks, participation in policy planning and implementation, and entrepreneurial activities. In addressing its mission, Rodale Institute's short-term goal is that people understand the vital link between three key elements to our lives: 1) environmental well-being, 2) the food, water, and air we ingest, and 3) the health and wealth of individuals, families and communities.

The Institute's long-term goal is that people everywhere value and practice environmental conservation in every aspect of their lives so that the common wealth and health, and the well-being of the planet and all its plant and animal species improve each year. The Institute provides leadership to individuals and organizations developing and promoting regenerative agricultural technologies, those which are environmentally sound and economically viable. The regenerative natural resource management model focuses on recycling and rebuilding local resources for social and economic benefits rather than depleting them.

Rodale Institute's particular focus is the world's soil resource. This valuable resource cannot be managed or conserved without attention to plant resources (trees and grasses), and without consideration of the effects of poor management and conservation strategies on the long-term well-being of people and wildlife. In all of its projects, the Institute views trees and grasses as tools for soil conservation, an income source, a food source and a habitat for wildlife. The Institute's staff includes specialists in forestry, ecology, biology, soil science and education, who are able to address and communicate these issues to the lay public.

Rodale Institute is organized in three main units: a Global Program, the Experimental Farm and Enterprise Development, each supported by the Administration/Finance and the Fundraising Departments. The Global Program is headquartered in the U.S. The Institute's international activities began in 1983 when it conducted a workshop on sustainable agriculture with the Ministry of Agriculture in Tanzania.

Since then, the Institute has developed and implemented a model called the Regenerative Agricultural Resource Center (RARC) in four nations - Senegal, Guatemala, Russia and the U.S. Integrating practical research with training and education, communication, and enterprise development, the RARC projects assist people in securing healthy food, and increasing their income opportunities by promoting agricultural systems that use and improve local resources. The purpose of the RARC model applications is to build local and national capacity to manage local resources more effectively. This is a accomplished by:

1. Gathering and disseminating information on regenerative natural resource management;
2. Increasing community membersí capacity to evaluate regenerative agricultural technologies;
3. Encouraging farmers to communicate their traditional and innovative technical information among themselves, to scientists, and to policy-makers;
4. Promoting the dissemination and adoption of technologies most appropriate to regenerative natural resource management.

The Institute's history of public education began in the early 1940's when J.I. Rodale began to publish "revolutionary" ideas on regenerative farming. Today, Institute staff continue to publish scholarly and lay articles based on their research and development of alternative food systems. Rodale Institute staff offer a variety of workshops and field days for farmers and food professionals on a regular basis, and a host of programs for young people and adults on soil health and organic gardening and farming.

For more information on the Rodale Institute Experimental Farm contact:

Rodale Institute Experimental Farm
611 Siegriedale Road
Kutstown, PA 19530-9749
(610) 683-1400
(610) 683-8548 FAX