MESA Program

This spring and summer, we heard from MESA alumni who are now training thousands of farmers in their communities, launching new businesses, heading back to school, or simply raising healthier food for their families. Read more in our September 2026 Newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/mesaprogram/mesa-taproot-september-2026-newsletter

After taking two MESA courses and deepening her community agriculture journey as a GAPP Japan fellow, Bernice Moraga "wakes up every day with a mission.” Read more about upcoming course offerings and Bernice Moraga's journey in the August 2026 Newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/mesaprogram/mesa-taproot-august-2026-newsletter

🌎 This summer, rural leaders from 13 different countries gathered to exchange food, stories, and farming knowledge with MESA’s Global Agroecology Pathways Program fellows. 🤝🌱

GAPP fellows spent three weeks in rural Japan 🇯🇵 learning alongside farmers at Asian Rural Institute's 9-month agricultural leadership training program. Together, global exchange participants work side by side to grow nutrient-dense food 🌾🥕🥬 for daily meals and cultivate leadership skills in service of their communities.

“Every single person I have spoken with here from volunteer to community member to staff and participants… I’ve seen the universe in their eyes. People here are moving with so much passion and care.” — Sachin Bangalore, GAPP Alumnus 2026 🌎💚

Are you passionate about peacebuilding and farmer-to-farmer exchange? Sign up now to receive information for GAPP Japan 2027 🇯🇵🌱 (interest form in bio).

Interest form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoY9_uTJThFaveIDD6mjQgpKX3NOP8_fDjf1wqVzm8OHG6Kw/viewform

🌎🌱🤝

No filter. No AI. All GB.
Ecology Action partner Garden of Hope in Ngolia Ward of Taita Taveta County in Coastal Kenya 🇰🇪

Meet our 2026 SPRIG mini-grant recipients! From community gardens in Washington, DC, to sustainable agriculture workshops across Kenya and food laboratories in the forests of Peru, our 2026 SPRIG mini-grant recipients are cultivating community-led solutions around the world. Explore this year's inspiring projects and join us in celebrating these global leaders. 🌍🇸🇱 🇰🇪🇵🇪

If you're inspired by these brilliant MESA alumni proposals, help us reach our goal of raising funds to make these projects a reality. Donate to help support next year's SPRIG campaign. Link in bio to donate.

🌱 Are you a farmer, educator, or passionate about building more sustainable food systems? Join MESA's Advanced Agroecology Topics Certificate Course this fall!

Take your agroecology knowledge beyond the fundamentals with expert instruction from Dr. Frida Endinjok and Sachin Bangalore. Through six live online sessions, you'll explore seed saving, natural beekeeping, agroecology research and advocacy, orcharding, product marketing, and farm & nonprofit management.

📅 October 12–November 16
🕕 Mondays | 6:00–7:30 PM PT
💻 Zoom + Google Classroom
💲$300 (Use code EARLYCROP before August 15 for $50 off)

Graduates receive a $100 Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds gift code, an Advanced Agroecology Certificate, and are eligible to apply for a 2027 SPRIG Mini-Grant.

Learn more here: https://www.mesaprogram.org/fall2026advanced

The brisk early morning air blows upon Sachin’s and his fellow farmers’ heavy eyelids as they gather around a small pit. Among the small group are rural leaders from Myanmar, Nepal, Malawi, India, and the U.S., working together. Sachin listens and watches in amazement as his new friend leads a workshop about making and using rice husk charcoal vinegar for organic pest control... Read more about Sachin's experience 学校法人 アジア学院／Asian Rural Institute in our July 2026 newsletter! 🌾🌱🌏

🔗 https://mailchi.mp/mesaprogram/mesa-taproot-july-2026-newsletter

This Fall, Sachin will co-facilitate MESA’s newest Advanced Agroecology certificate course! 🎓

Since opening Devil's Gulch Ranch to MESA Stewards in 2014, Myriam and Mark have demonstrated that the heart of agroecology extends far beyond the field, it grows through community, cultural exchange, and lasting relationships... Read more about the legacy and impact of MESA's Host Partners Myriam and Mark in our July 2026 newsletter. 🌱🐑

🔗https://mailchi.mp/mesaprogram/mesa-taproot-july-2026-newsletter

🌱 Celebrating the past and present SAGE Stewards at Empower Valley Dream Farm in Knoxville, Tennessee! 🌎💚

A huge thank you to former Stewards Trinidad, Anthony, Wisdom, and Hasun for the incredible impact they made during their time at Empower.

We're also excited to cheer on our current Stewards, Maeva🇲🇬 from Madagascar and Menghor 🇰🇭 from Cambodia, as they continue their journey of learning, cultural exchange, and sustainable agriculture.