NPEW 2018

Rachel Stroer is the Chief Operating Officer of The Land Institute, a non-profit organization based in Salina, Kansas, that was founded in 1976. The Land Institute’s work, led by a team of plant breeders and ecologists in multiple partnerships worldwide, is focused on developing perennial grains, pulses and oilseed bearing plants to be grown in ecologically intensified, diverse crop mixtures known as perennial polycultures. The Institute’s goal is to create an agriculture system that mimics natural systems in order to produce ample food and reduce or eliminate the negative impacts of industrial agriculture. Rachel’s professional life spanned across city planning, investor relations and strategic planning before returning home to Salina to join The Land Institute’s mission. Today, she leads operational and strategic oversight for the Institute. The organization houses six plant breeding and ecology programs and coordinates 39 global research partnerships. Rachel has overseen the organization’s growth and transition as an increased number of graduate student research programs, scientific publications, and consumer products have begun to showcase the potential of natural systems agriculture. She received her Bachelor of Arts from New York University and a Master of Business Administration from the Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri, Kansas City.