California Institute for Rural Studies Information

We want to increase social justice in rural California for all residents, building sustainable communities based on a healthy agriculture. Foremost in our work are marginalized populations. CIRS works using the strategies of research, partnership and community engagement to improve conditions on the ground for marginalized rural residents. Our work informs public policy and inspires action for social change while providing a fact-based foundation for organizations and individuals working to ameliorate rural injustice. While our commitment to the scientific method is at the foundation of our credibility, we recognize the inescapable role that values play in shaping the fundamental questions that researchers pose. Our philosophy of science is therefore based on the principle that scientific inquiry should consciously serve the long-term public interest. Because we do not have members or direct constituents, partnership is essential to achieve the following goals. • Create a collaboration of statewide organizations who can work together to improve conditions on the ground. • Bring rural California into the mainstream media, the discussion of sustainability and the food movement. • Provide data and tools based on data to change policy and advance advocacy for marginalized rural communities.