California Institute for Rural Studies

We want to increase social justice in rural California for all residents, building sustainable communities based on a healthy agriculture. Foremost in our work will be marginalized populations. The goals of our public interest research are to strengthen social justice and increase the sustainability of California's rural communities. 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.