INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURE AND TRADE POLICY:

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) was founded and headquartered at Mark Ritchie's home in South Minneapolis in 1986 in the midst of the American Farm Crisis of the 1980s. An internationalist, progressive think tank, its self-described mission is to work locally and globally at the intersection of policy and practice to ensure fair and sustainable food, farm, and trade systems. In addition to its Minneapolis headquarters, it has maintained offices at various times in Geneva, Australia, Washington, D.C., and Berlin.

The organization advocates for fair and sustainable food and farm systems at the local, national, and international level by advocating for policy change at all levels, while also working with businesses and larger institutions to change practices, and with farmers and consumers to build demand for change. It focuses on trade and global governance, rural communities, local foods, food and health, climate change, China, and environment and agriculture.

The Institute is governed by an international board of directors. In 2008 the board included individuals from France, the Netherlands, Brazil, Canada, Japan, and the United States. Mark Ritchie, a Democratic politician and later Minnesota Secretary of State, was the Institute's first president, and served until 2006 when Jim Harkness succeeded him. Harkness was president until 2013, and later became a consultant on China, food systems, environment, and philanthropy at the University of Minnesota's China Center.

The IATP is funded by the sale of educational materials and by foundations, churches, and individuals. Eventually the Institute worked to establish a permanent endowment to help support its programs and work.

Among its many efforts the Institute founded Minneapolis-based Peace Coffee, a roaster and retailer of organically-grown, fair trade coffee.

Return to top

The records include correspondence, memoranda, printed emails, events and program files, Institute publications, videocassettes, compact discs, a few photographs, some slide carousels, and various other materials documenting the work of the organization, much of which involved conferences, conventions, and meetings held at various places around the world.

Much of the video material relates to a conference held to mark the 50th anniversary of the Bretton Woods Conference of 1944, and to a Seattle meeting of the World Trade Organization (1999). Other video recordings are of the locally-produced Global Cafe television program, which featured Mark Ritchie and others interviewing guests and focusing on issues of concern to the Institute (1990s).

Return to top

These documents are organized into the following sections:

Return to top

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy Records. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 17,880

Processing Information:

Processed by: David B. Peterson, January 2024.

Catalog ID number: 9989848540204294

Access Restrictions:

This collection is located off site in Remote Storage. Advance arrangements are required in order to view its contents. Please consult the reference staff for more information.

Return to top

Historical timelines and other information is scattered throughout the Chronological files.

Return to top

Return to top

Includes correspondence, press releases, newsletters, conference programs, papers given at conferences, brochures, magazine articles, grant proposals, and similar material.

Return to top

Records of speaking engagements and other appearances and activities undertaken by Institute staff members. Include conference programs, supporting documentation, emails, correspondence, and printed materials.