About Kernel
Kernel is a five-year program supporting food producers and handlers nationwide as they transition to organic and pursue USDA Organic certification. This initiative is led by Arizona State University’s Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems with the aim of expanding U.S. organic production and providing new economic opportunities for the next generation of organic farmers.
The foundation of Kernel is mentorship. We strategically match seasoned organic producers and handlers (mentors) with those aspiring to become organic certified (mentees). Throughout the transition process, mentors share their knowledge and firsthand experience to help mentees navigate hurdles and build the expertise needed to succeed.
Kernel also provides participants with resources and educational opportunities to deepen their understanding of organic practices and certification requirements.
“Plentiful homegrown U.S. organic food is the goal.”
— Kathleen Merrigan
Executive Director, Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems
Why Kernel?
A kernel is the part of a seed that represents future growth. In the same way, our program is centered on nurturing growth. Through Kernel, domestic production of healthy organic food will grow alongside a stronger network of organic farmers and handlers. Additionally, Kernel connects young farmers with market opportunities to ensure a resilient agricultural future across the country.
The name of our program also honors the Kern Family Foundation, whose financial support made Kernel possible.
What about TOPP?
If you’re part of the organic community, you’ve likely heard of the Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). Launched in 2022, TOPP was a $100 million USDA initiative that provided wrap-around support for transitioning and existing organic farmers. Over four years, 200+ organizations across the country collaborated on TOPP, with mentorship at the heart of the program.
As TOPP concludes on September 30, 2026, Kernel will carry forward its mentorship model and build upon its success.
Regional partners. National reach.
To engage producers and handlers across the U.S., we're partnering with six regional organizations that helped deliver TOPP across their extensive organic networks:
California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF)
Florida Organic Growers (FOG)
Midwest Organic Services Association (MOSA)
Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Interstate Council
Oregon Tilth
Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA)
The meaning behind the logo
The Kernel logo is designed to reflect our connection to organic agriculture and our network of partners. The center circle of the graphic is dark green, the same color that is used in the USDA Organic seal. Additionally, the outer ring of the logo is composed of six kernels, a nod to the six regional organizations partnering with the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems to connect mentors and mentees nationwide.
About the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems
As part of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University, the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems drives social progress, economic productivity, and ecosystem resilience through food systems transformation. Advancing organic is a key pillar of this work.
The Swette Center has deep roots in organic. The Center’s executive director, Kathleen Merrigan, wrote the law that established national standards for organic food in 1990 when she was a senior staffer for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. She also advanced organic as Administrator of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, overseeing the 2000 proposed and 2001 final rules and as USDA Deputy Secretary from 2009 to 2013, during which she notably supported organic farming and local food systems.
At the Swette Center, our work to advance organic agriculture spans research, policy, and on-the-ground support for producers. As a key national partner for TOPP, the Swette Center managed nationwide data collection and analysis, in addition to serving as Arizona’s TOPP lead for four years.
Kernel is the next phase of our work to continue supporting the growth of organic.
Practicing Principled Innovation
Innovation is not just about what is possible—it is about what is responsible, ethical, and meaningful. Organic advocates are familiar with the “precautionary principle,” a risk management approach embedded in much of environmental law, food safety rules, and public health policy. Often summarized as “better safe than sorry,” the principle shifts the burden of proof. Instead of proving that something is harmful before stopping it, proponents argue that it must be proven safe before proceeding. This kind of thinking is fundamental to the practice of organic production, central to our national organic standards, and guides National Organic Standards Board decision-making related to the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances.
In much the same way, “Practice Principled Innovation,” Arizona State University’s ninth design aspiration, provides ways of integrating reflective practices into innovation processes. It challenges us to ask not only can we innovate, but should we? It guides ASU’s approach to innovation, ensuring that creativity and problem-solving remain ethically grounded and socially responsible. Across ASU’s campuses, Principled Innovation is being discussed and practiced in our classrooms, research labs, and public engagement activities.
Kernel is an ASU Principled Innovation project.
