Each year, we publish an annual report — known at the Savanna Institute as the Perennial Report. In our latest report, we highlight how the Savanna Institute is building connections, inspiring relationships of reciprocity, and strengthening the perennial agriculture community.

In his introductory letter, Executive Director Keefe Keeley shares a connection between the birds in his front yard and his work at the Savanna Institute:

“I’m thinking back to when the serviceberries in my front yard were ripening last season.  June, which got really busy with family, travel, and work — you know how summer goes.  We got a few first handfuls of berries; then, before we knew it, neighborhood birds enjoyed the rest. I was nagged by a sense of failure about this — even for a few shrubs in the front yard, I’m always hounded by a sense of obligation to not let a harvest go to waste.

This winter I read The Serviceberry. Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer’s reflections on reciprocity got me rethinking whether berries going to birds is so simple as a crop going to “waste.” Kimmerer’s core message — all flourishing is mutual — reminded me why Savanna Institute’s work is so meaningful to me.”

Read selections from the 2024 Perennial Report below or download the full report. Thank you for being part of what we’re growing!