Hub accreditation with the Savory Institute is a rigorous yet rewarding process that allows organizations to become accredited Savory Hubs. This article provides an overview of the process and timeline for Hub accreditation, outlining the requirements and steps involved.
Application Process Overview
Step 1: Hub Application & Homework
If you're ready to express your interest in becoming a Hub, you will first fill out the Hub interest form.
From here, the Savory team will send you some homework to really explore if this journey is right for you. The homework will include reading the Holistic Management book, interviewing a Savory Hub leader, and other steps to familiarize yourself with the roles and responsibilities of becoming a Hub.
After completion of this homework, if you are still interested, you will be asked to submit a full application which includes a detailed plan about your potential Hub operation and a short video. This short (roughly 5-minute) video should showcase your vision for your Hub, and should include footage of the local area's landscape and communities, insights into the people who will be impacted, local challenges, and information about the team leading the efforts.
Step 2: Become a Hub Candidate
The Savory team will review your full application and, if we feel there is good fit, you will invited to join the Savory Global Network as a Hub Candidate (i.e. Hub in-training). You'll gain access to our internal resources, community platform, and will be enrolled in internal trainings to get you up to speed on Savory programs.
Step 3: Complete Your Coursework (aka the "Hub Activation Pathway")
Over the course of 18 months, you will learn all there is about being a Savory Hub and Holistic Management. You'll take online courses learning about Savory's programs, you or your colleagues will take the Holistic Management Comprehensive, and you'll complete the Hub Design Lab where you'll work with mentors and advisors to craft your Hub's unique business model.
Step 4: Fulfill Accreditation Requirements
After successful completion of your coursework and fulfilling of all accreditation requirements (discussed in greater detail below), you will submit documentation including your grazing, financial, and land plans of your demonstration site, and you will sign a "conscious contract" that establishes the relationship between the Hub and the Savory Institute. From there, once the accreditation fee is paid you officially become an accredited Hub in the Savory Global Network.
Accreditation Requirements
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Complete the Hub Activation Pathway: The Hub Activation Pathway consists of everything from application and homework to the full coursework and development of your Hub's impact model. 10 steps that take place over 18 months.
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Have a Demonstration Site: Hubs must maintain management influence or control of a local demonstration site that is holistically managed. The site serves as a venue for workshops and demonstrations of Holistic Management in the local context. The planning procedures and baseline monitoring must be submitted to the Savory Institute for compliance verification.
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Have at least one accredited HM Educator: All Hubs are required to use Savory Institute-accredited professionals in training and consulting to ensure quality and consistency within the network. These do not have to be staff members of your Hub, but at minimum you must have a working relationship with a Savory-accredited Holistic Management educator who can conduct trainings on behalf of your Hub. This can be an existing accredited educator or someone that you put through the training to become accredited as part of your Hub onboarding process.
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Complete the Holistic Management Intensive Training: Two leaders from each Hub will be given the opportunity to attend an HM training program to prepare them for accreditation as Accredited Professionals with the Savory Institute. This training will include all five core modules: 1) Foundations of Holistic Management, 2) Holistic Planned Grazing, 3) Holistic Financial Planning, 4) Holistic Land Planning 5) Holistic Ecological Monitoring. SI provides this training program multiple times each year. It lasts a full 10 days in person, or 32 weeks virtually, depending on what Savory is currently offering. After the training, the team member(s) can apply to become an Accredited Associate Educator. If the Hub desires to have an Accredited Field Professional in its team, that person will, in addition to the training, need to also have at least three years of land and livestock management experience, plus one year of Holistic Management experience (this means that the person has used all the planning procedures of Holistic Management). The aim of this intensive training program is to ensure each Hub has at least one Accredited Professional on staff. Having a Field Professional on the team with more land and livestock experience will give hub training programs more credibility with farmers, ranchers, pastoralists, and any other land managers they train and support. A Hub may choose to work with existing Accredited Field Professionals and Master Field Professionals to get the highest quality training and consulting in the region until the Hub team achieves the needed level of excellence. A roster of Savory Accredited Field Professionals and Master Field Professionals is available to all Hubs.
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Complete the Hub Design Lab: Two Hub leaders are required to attend the Hub Design Lab, which focuses on organizational development, business plan development, brand and marketing support, networking, fundraising, and funding strategies. This training is facilitated by Savory Institute staff, mentors, advisors, and professional guests. The Hub candidate may select the Design Lab location and dates that best accommodate their schedule, and the typical format includes completion of on-demand digital courses, a virtual training, and an in-person component of the training.
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Complete the Hub EOV Training: At least one Savory Field Professional on the Hub leadership team (or in partnership with the Hub) must complete the Hub EOV training to conduct EOV in the Hub region and enroll producers in EOV. This training is 4-6 days, or six weeks virtually, and will be offered on-site at the Hub’s demonstration site to set up the Hub with the required regional information, monitoring infrastructure, and technology. The training is conducted by an EOV Master Verifier who has been appointed by the Savory Institute to conduct the training and EOV setup. We encourage the participation of other Accredited Field Professionals, holistic managers, and farmers/ranchers in the area to build capacity for the deployment of EOV.