Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy

What Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy does

The Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy (IATP) is a Minneapolis-based nonprofit policy research and advocacy organization founded in 1986 by Mark Ritchie. Registered as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization (EIN: 36-3501938), it works to advance fair and sustainable food, farm, and trade systems by examining the interconnection between agriculture, trade, and climate policy. IATP serves policymakers at the Minnesota state, U.S. federal, and international (UN, WTO, EU) levels, alongside a network of over 550 partner organizations, social movements, civil society coalitions, farmers, rural communities, and journalists. It operates offices in Minneapolis (headquarters), Washington, D.C., and Berlin (IATP Europe), with a staff of roughly 20 and a headcount band of 11-50.

IATP is not a technology company and does not develop proprietary software or products. Its core capability is policy analysis, research, and advocacy grounded in science and lived experience. Its "offerings" consist of research reports (e.g., "The Bank Takes the Lead?," "Emissions Impossible," "The Fertiliser Trap"), regulatory comments to bodies such as the EU Commission, California Air Resources Board, and Minnesota agencies, podcast series (Agroecology Uprooted, Farm Bill Uprooted), programs including Farm to School & Early Care and Community Food Systems, and the MinneAg Network, of which it is a founding coordinator. In 2025, IATP published 62 articles, wrote 18 regulatory comments, hosted 8 webinars, and received 730 media mentions across outlets including Bloomberg, The Guardian, AP, and POLITICO.

As a nonprofit, IATP's business model is funded through tax-deductible donations and charitable contributions from individual and institutional donors, accepted online or by check; it does not sell commercial products or services and applies no commercial pricing tiers. Its go-to-market motion is direct engagement with policymakers, coalition collaboration, published research, regulatory submissions, and earned media rather than commercial sales. Governance is provided by a Board of Directors chaired by Harriet Barlow, with Sophia Murphy serving as Executive Director since October 2020. IATP holds a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid Guidestar.

Name

Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy

Legal name

Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy

Website

https://iatp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IATP is a Minneapolis-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1986 that conducts policy research and advocacy for fair, sustainable food, farm, and trade systems, serving policymakers, farmers, and 550+ partner organizations across the U.S., Europe, and Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and charitable contributions: IATP is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization (EIN: 36-3501938). It relies on tax-deductible donations from individuals and institutional donors to fund its operations. Donations are accepted online via card or by mailing a check to the Minneapolis office.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IATP is a nonprofit policy research and advocacy organization that produces evidence-based research, regulatory comments, policy reports, and programmatic work on sustainable agriculture, fair trade, and climate solutions. It engages with policymakers at state, federal, and international levels and collaborates with over 550 partner organizations globally to drive systemic change in food, farm, and trade systems.

Product overview

IATP is a non-profit policy organization (not a technology company) that does not offer a unified software product or platform. Its 'offerings' consist of advocacy programs, research publications, podcast series, and policy engagement services including: Agroecology Uprooted (a podcast series exploring agroecology), Farm to School & Early Care program, MinneAg Network (Minnesota food systems network), Community Food Systems program, regulatory comments services, and various research reports on agriculture, trade, and climate policy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Farm to School & Early Care IATP's programmatic and policy support for Farm to School and Farm to Early Care in Minnesota, helping schools incorporate local Minnesota foods into menus and connecting students with where their food comes from.
• MinneAg Network A Minnesota statewide network of community-rooted farm and food systems organizations that prioritize agricultural practices that nourish people and the planet. IATP is a founding member and coordinator.
• Community Food Systems Program IATP's program working at the intersection of policy and practice in Minnesota to build vibrant community-based food systems that give all people access to sufficient, safe, culturally appropriate and nutritious food.
• Regulatory Comments Service IATP regularly submits input to regulatory and administrative agencies, providing expert opinions and recommendations for policy implementation and matters of public concern on agriculture, trade, and climate.
• The Bank Takes the Lead? Research Report An in-depth research report analyzing the World Bank Group's involvement in African agriculture, livestock projects, and the Green Revolution in Africa, with a focus on East and Southern Africa. Co-authored with the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA).
• Agroecology Uprooted Podcast Series A limited five-part podcast series exploring agroecology, featuring interviews with farmers, scientists, food movement leaders, and experts discussing what agroecology is, how it works, and why a transition to agroecology is needed. Distributed via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Podbean.

Quantifiable outcome

• 62 articles published in 2025
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2026IATP co-hosted a webinar on 'Shared visions for trade justice for agriculture in North America' with the National Family Farm Coalition in May 2026.
• Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIATP co-authored the report 'The Bank Takes the Lead?' with AFSA, examining the World Bank Group's role in African agriculture. AFSA is a key strategic partner in advancing agroecology and food sovereignty across Africa.
• MinneAg NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIATP is a founding member, coordinator, and housing organization for the MinneAg network — a statewide network of community-rooted farm and food systems organizations in Minnesota prioritizing agricultural practices that nourish people and the planet.
• Land Stewardship ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLand Stewardship Project co-leads the MinneAg network with IATP, working together on community food systems and agricultural policy in Minnesota.
• Minnesota Farmers UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinnesota Farmers Union co-leads the MinneAg network alongside IATP and the Land Stewardship Project.
• MN 350coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMN 350 co-leads the MinneAg network alongside IATP, Land Stewardship Project, and Minnesota Farmers Union.
• Transfair USA (Fair Trade certification)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIATP helped launch Transfair USA, an international fair trade certification organization, as part of its work to demonstrate the viability of fair trade.
• Peace CoffeeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIATP founded Peace Coffee, now a nationally consumed fair trade coffee brand, as part of its efforts to put fair trade ideas into action.
• Center for Agriculture and the Environment (Netherlands)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIATP partnered with the Center for Agriculture and the Environment in the Netherlands to develop tools helping U.S. farmers increase income by reducing on-farm pollution.
• University of Vermont Institute for AgroecologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIATP collaborates with the University of Vermont Institute for Agroecology, particularly through its podcast series featuring experts like V. Ernesto Méndez. The Institute is a hub for agroecology research and education.
• ETC GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPat Mooney from ETC Group is featured as a guest on IATP's Agroecology Uprooted podcast series, contributing expertise on food systems and corporate power.
• Food Sovereignty Alliance (India)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSagari Ramdas from the Food Sovereignty Alliance (India) is featured as a guest on IATP's Agroecology Uprooted podcast series.
• Wild Farming AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCourtney Tchida from the Wild Farming Alliance is featured as a guest on IATP's Agroecology Uprooted podcast series.
• ECDYSIS FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJon Lundgren from the ECDYSIS Foundation is featured as a guest on IATP's Agroecology Uprooted podcast series.
• Grow Biointensive Agriculture Center of KenyaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSamuel Nderitu from the Grow Biointensive Agriculture Center of Kenya is featured as a guest on IATP's Agroecology Uprooted podcast series.
• Sin Maíz No Hay PaísminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeticia Lopez Zepeda from Sin Maíz No Hay País is featured as a guest on IATP's Agroecology Uprooted podcast series.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Family Farm Coalition: A coalition advocating for family farmers and trade justice; a co-host partner of IATP with a nearly identical mission around fair farm and trade policy.
• GRAIN: An international nonprofit supporting small farmers and food sovereignty against industrial agriculture, directly comparable to IATP's agroecology and food-sovereignty advocacy.
• Food & Water Watch: A U.S. nonprofit advocacy organization campaigning on food, water, and corporate agriculture policy, directly overlapping with IATP's food-systems and factory-farm regulation advocacy.
• National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: A coalition of grassroots groups advocating for federal sustainable-agriculture and Farm Bill policy, closely aligned with IATP's coalition-driven farm-policy work.
• Environmental Working Group: A research and advocacy nonprofit focused on agriculture subsidies, food, and environmental health policy, mirroring IATP's research-plus-advocacy model on farm policy.
• Center for Food Safety: A nonprofit using legal and policy advocacy to challenge industrial agriculture and promote sustainable food systems, comparable to IATP's regulatory-comment and food-sovereignty work.

Others

• ETC Group: An international research and advocacy organization on corporate power in food systems; an IATP podcast collaborator with thematically aligned but more tech-focused work.

Broad incumbents

• International Institute for Sustainable Development: A global think tank working on trade, agriculture, and climate policy at international institutions, overlapping IATP's WTO/UN-level trade and sustainability research.
• Union of Concerned Scientists: A larger science-based advocacy nonprofit with a food and agriculture program addressing climate and sustainable farming, overlapping IATP's evidence-based policy approach at greater scale.

Regional players

• Land Stewardship Project: A Minnesota-based sustainable-agriculture advocacy nonprofit that co-leads the MinneAg Network with IATP, serving the same regional farm and food-systems community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iatp
• Facebookfacebook.com/IATPiatp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-for-agriculture-and-trade-policy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy