Agroecology Commons strives to build equity, cooperation, creativity, resilience, and joy in both our internal and external ecosystems.

Our cooperative governance practices include shared and rotating leadership, participatory planning and budgeting, and a compensation equity process with a social justice lens. Our model aims to shed light on and dismantle patterns of oppression so often perpetuated by organizations that may be dedicated to public service, but have not addressed their own internal oppressive structures. By doing so, we hope to continue learning how to embody our values and disrupt inequitable operations normalized by the nonprofit industrial complex.

In order to facilitate participatory decision-making and support leadership succession, Agroecology Commons has implemented a structure of Cooperative Governance Circles (see below). Circle governance encourages co-creation and minimizes stagnant hierarchies that often occur in conventional corporate and non-profit settings. The mindfully sharing and shifting of roles facilitates learning and leadership development while reducing ego-attachment and complete reliance on any sole individual. All collective members are staff and also serve on the Board of Directors, which also includes other comrades.

Our cooperative governance circles are categorized as either an operational or programmatic circle. The operational circles center the internal organizational practices, including administration, humane resources, fundraising, and anti-oppression/wellness. The programmatic circles demonstrate how we engage our work in the world such as land stewardship, farmer-to-farmer education, cooperative networks.