Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project

The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) is a nonprofit organization based out of Asheville, North Carolina, which serves the region of Southern Appalachia. Their stated mission is to "help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food." ASAP itself has three different primary divisions:  the Local Food Research Center, the Local Food Campaign, and the Growing Minds Farm to School program. Each program plays a part in educating the public, assisting local food systems, and providing resources to improve access to locally sourced food.

The Appalachian Sustainable Agricultural Project (ASAP) is located in the heart of southern Appalachia. It was founded in 1995 by a group of farmers in western North Carolina who were concerned about the loss of tobacco as an agricultural product of small farms. The organization is based in Asheville, but also works with several fresh produce farms in the neighboring states of Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina. In 2002 ASAP was incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit. In the same year, ASAP published its first Local Food Guide, which listed fifty-eight local farms, thirty-two tailgate markets, and nineteen restaurants sourcing local ingredients. Two years later in 2004 ASAP hosted its first conference, "Marketing Opportunities for Farmers," at Warren Wilson College.

Building economies in Appalachia

Throughout American history the region of Appalachia has been purposely exploited by outside capitalist forces, which have sought to extract resources for economic gain. As time has passed, the country has witnessed Appalachia fall further behind the rest of the country when it comes to economic, educational, and health outcomes. The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project itself reflects what many governmental organizations have been researching to boost the economy of the region. For example, Karen Karp and Partners, a national food and agriculture consultancy, were hired by the Appalachian Regional Commission to consult on local farm systems. They found that Appalachian food systems are measurably worse than all other regions of the United States.

"In 2015, the most recent U.S. department of Agriculture data showed that more than 7.1 million people in Appalachia and the Delta had low access to healthy foods, representing about twenty percent of the population in those two regions"[3]

A narrow range of job options–due to overreliance on a few types of business and industry–has contributed to challenges in the mountains. Diversification of the economy will help create economic resilience, making Appalachia less susceptible to extreme changes in the broader economy. For instance, while one industry may be underperforming, agriculture can create another avenue for investment. Local food systems can help by creating jobs and new markets, while also improving food security. 

Researching food systems in southern Appalachia

One of ASAP’s primary sub-organizations, launched in 2011, is the Local Food Research Center, which studies and communicates the impact of local food systems. ASAP launched the Local Food Research Center in order to “study the economic, environmental, and social impacts of localizing food systems.”[1] This unit provides an annual survey on the shift from tobacco farming to local food, sustainable production practices, and access to farmers markets. A report titled "Experiencing Local," for instance, discusses the impact of local farm experiences and how they can be a catalyst for food system change.

Another ASAP initiative that has attempted to grow the local food scene is the Appalachian Grown program.This is a certification program which specifically targets food raised on farms in western North Carolina and the southern Appalachian Mountains.  The Appalachian Grown "about" section summarizes:

“The program is open to farms, tailgate markets, and partner businesses such as groceries, restaurants, wholesalers, and artisan food producers.”[2]

The program covers sixty counties which are all located one hundred miles or less from Asheville, North Carolina, where the market center is located. Almost nine hundred different Appalachian Grown Farms support this program. 

The Appalachian Grown Partner Survey is done every year to assess the impacts of ASAP's services and to garner feedback. It collects information on the buying patterns for local food from farms. In total this covers restaurants, grocery stores, wholesale retailers, and other businesses which purchase local foods. This work can help improve how farmers choose which products to provide to markets, as they have a stronger idea of what is demanded. The most recent Appalachian Grown Producer Survey investigated the experience of people farming in 2021 and how they were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was sent out to over 750 Appalachian Grown certified producers. The survey found that seventy-six percent of the respondents were new to farming, meaning that their farms had existed for ten or less years. As far as sales for Appalachian Grown farms in 2021 it was a mixed bag. Thirty-seven percent of respondents said that their sales decreased in 2021, while forty-one percent said they increased. 

Building networks

A combination of product labeling and educational outreach brings awareness to food system issues and changes the habits of consumers. Consumers can use the Appalachian Grown logo to identify food that has been grown locally to help people make more informed buying decisions. Food identifiers are one of the best ways for consumers to help encourage more economic investment into local farming. But these labels don’t have to be exclusive. Farmers' markets who have partnered with the Appalachian Grown program have worked to support people from all economic backgrounds. ASAP allows the use of EBT or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at their sponsored farmers' market events. Specifically, ASAP’s Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables program offers a match on money spent by SNAP customers at farmers' markets with tokens that can be used for produce.

ASAP also has a "Growing Minds: Farm to School" program. As stated on their website, this includes edible school gardens, farm field trips/farmer visits to the classroom, classroom cooking with local food, and locally grown food served in meals provided in the cafeteria. Through the farm-to-school program children can build connections to their community and learn about where their food comes from. The edible school gardens can also be used to promote social emotional learning and active lifestyles. Along with education for children, Growing Minds provides training for teachers, parents, and farmers. Their website contains lesson plans and literature to help implement their work into school programs. 

Groups such as the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project help provide Appalachians with more options for healthy eating, and more areas for economic growth. With more local grocery stores and farmers markets, people can rely less on transnational corporations which have no personal stake in the wellbeing of Appalachian people. The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project is one of the main organizations leading the charge to change food systems in Central Appalachia. Their work on education and creating food identifiers will allow consumers to develop better purchasing habits and show that local food systems are sustainable and popular.

^{[1] [2]}“About ASAP.” ASAP Connections, Appalachia Sustainable Agriculture Project, 29 Sept. 2022, https://asapconnections.org/about-us/. 

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Helmer, Jodi. “Can Farming Save Appalachia?” Modern Farmer, May 16, 2019. https://modernfarmer.com/2019/05/can-farming-save-appalachia/.

Kathryn Webb Farley, and Carrie Blanchard Bush. “Using Relationships as Resources in Social Impact Investing: Examining a Local Food Movement in Appalachia.” Journal of Appalachian Studies 22, no. 2 (2016): 224–44. https://doi.org/10.5406/jappastud.22.2.0224.

Kerrick, Ben, Emily Sandusky, Brian De Corte, and Erin Hostetler. “Agriculture and Local Food Economies in the Appalachian Region.” Appalachian Regional Commission, April 14, 2022. https://www.arc.gov/report/agriculture-and-local-food-economies-in-the-appalachian-region/.

 ^[3]Molina, Daniela, and Jill Riepenhoff. “Deserted: Access to Healthy, Fresh and Affordable Foods Is Elusive for Millions Who Live in Rural America.” Https://Www.kplctv.com, KPLC, 14 June 2021, https://www.kplctv.com/2021/06/14/deserted-access-healthy-fresh-affordable-foods-is-elusive-millions-who-live-rural-america/.

Pudup, Mary Beth. “The Limits of Subsistence: Agriculture and Industry in Central Appalachia.” Agricultural History 64, no. 1 (1990): 61–89. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3743183.

Stump, Nicholas. “Food Deserts in Appalachia: A Socio-Economic Ill and Opportunities for Reform.” Oxford Human Rights Hub, November 15, 2016. Food Deserts In Appalachia: A Socio-Economic Ill and Opportunities for Reform | OHRH (ox.ac.uk)