In mid-December 2011, Savory Institute President Allan Savory and CEO Daniela Ibarra-Howell were invited by Ashoka to join a small, inspiring gathering of thought leaders and on-the-ground entrepreneurs from around the world in Washington D.C. This group engaged in candid and focused deliberations designed to help surface and articulate new paradigms around ecosystem services, rural development and farming.
Ashoka’s hypothesis for this working group, as indicated by emerging innovations from social entrepreneurs around the world, is that the intersection of public health, agriculture, economic development and nature/wildlife conservation fields is rich for unleashing innovation and helping to shift much deeper paradigms in society. The group explored the complexity and related opportunities surrounding issues of soil, water, nutrient cycles in the food chain, community governance and decision-making and social behavior among others.
Ashoka’s 30-year focus on “systemic change” worldwide seems to intersect with the methodologies represented in Holistic Management, and this connection is a topic of ongoing discussion between the Savory Institute and Ashoka. Ashoka is renowned for their work with leading social entrepreneurs to search for and advance innovations and systems-changes in society. Their work has produced increasing evidence that a key area of opportunity for a potential, powerful paradigm shift lies at the intersection of economy, rural agriculture and the natural environment.
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