Grow Appalachia (Berea College)
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The Grow Appalachia organization is a strategic initiative of Berea College that has worked for thirteen years to address and resolve food insecurity and structural challenges across 6 states: Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Ohio. From partnering with families, to partnering with communities and organizations, Grow Appalachia has been able to reach 6,700 families, and grow 6.1 million pounds of fresh produce by 2022. These services aid a diverse aggregation of people across the central Appalachia region, and sustainability plays a key role in the initiative.
Images
Six students that made up the Berea 1901 graduating class. The students are between the ages of 21 and 22, and 2 of the graduating students are Black males. This was 3 years before interracial education became illegal in Kentucky.
A photo collage from Grow Appalachia’s 2021 annual report. People pose next to their gardens, harvested food is depicted such as carrots and potatoes, canned and preserved food is shown, healthy livestock and poultry stand in fields, and there are pictures of freshly grown vegetation.
Grow Appalachia’s 2021 annual report shows a timeline of Grow Appalachia’s partnerships and organizational developments. From 2009 to 2020, a plethora of partnerships have been made, 8 commercial kitchens have been built, and meal programs have been put into place.
The first Berea College building in a Black and white photograph. The building is a log cabin standing alone in the woods. There are four simple windows, a door, and a chimney.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Sustainable foods are important in limiting monoculture, conserving energy, reducing harm to animals, supporting local communities, and lessening pesticide and herbicide usage. Additionally, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program at the University of California explains that “The goal of sustainable agriculture is to meet society’s food and textile needs in the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. This definition goes hand in hand with Grow Appalachia’s programming. The organization follows five key initiatives. The first is Garden Grants, which give non-profits the resources to begin and maintain local garden programs, while the second initiative, Community Kitchens, provides fresh, locally grown food to local families. The third initiative, Social Enterprise, is the sale of gardening equipment and infrastructure to aid in the growth of local gardening programs. The fourth initiative, Child Nutrition, is an especially important initiative of Grow Appalachia’s as it ensures that children in communities are being provided with nutritious food options. Finally, Farmer Development supplies education for new farmers.
Supporting small-time farming in the mountains
The history of Grow Appalachia begins long before its founding by John Paul DeJoria in 2009. The Appalachian region was first used for agricultural purposes by indigenous people, and when Europeans settled in the area, they introduced new vegetation such as oats and tobacco, in addition to the practice of livestock stock farming. The area was known for its fruitful farmlands, but after the Civil War, many farmers abandoned their land for city work. By the end of the Industrial Revolution, the Appalachian area population revolved around small, family-owned farms. This began the notion that the region was strictly “hillbilly” land, and most residents lived in seclusion and humble living conditions.
Additionally, Berea College’s history of concern for local people is relevant to Grow Appalachia, considering that the organization is a Berea strategic initiative. Berea was one of the first colleges in the south that was established as an interracial institution. Reverend John G. Fee founded the school in 1855, inspired by Oberlin College. Unfortunately, in 1904 the state of Kentucky passed legislation that prohibited interracial teaching. Berea tried to work around it by funding an all African American college nearby, but Berea itself remained all white until 1950. Eventually the law was amended, and Berea was the first college in Kentucky to reinstate interracial education. The institution also had a regional focus from the beginning, as first principal J.A.R. Rogers deemed the area a “neglected part of the country” in 1858. Berea’s mission statement notes a specific intent to offer higher education to local students, and especially those with limited economic resources. It is no surprise, then, that Berea hosts Grow Appalachia, as both organizations have aligned values, and work towards strengthening the region’s people.
Impacts
In a 2021 Network Case Study, Grow Appalachia was reviewed by Elyzabeth Engle. Engle explains that nonprofits set organizational rules, and she found four rules, “being in and of the community, providing a hand up, not a hand out, cultivating science-assisted craft/mountain agriculture, and promoting sustainability for self-sufficiency.” These practices have allowed Grow Appalachia to build relationships within communities, build support for the organization, and teach people sustainability. Although issues with staff burnout and including marginalized communities remain a challenge, Engle concluded that Grow Appalachia’s efforts have more positive than negative effects on the communities it works with. One participant from Grow Appalachia’s Henderson Settlement, Casey Smith, said, “What an awesome experience it has been to be part of the Grow Appalachia Program these past few years. Working with the team in Berea has been the best. There was no question I could ask that they could not answer.”
Studies like these suggest that Grow Appalachia is a productive, high functioning, and credible organization. Berea’s history of being a diverse and inclusive institution will continue to have an impact on people who have been overlooked and underestimated because of systematic prejudices thanks to the work of initiatives such as Grow Appalachia.
Sources
Berea College. Berea College’s Early History, Berea College. Accessed November 30th, 2022. https://www.berea.edu/about/history/ .
Engle, Elizabeth W. Brokering Rural Community Food Security: An Organizational Network Case Study in Central Appalachia, Wiley Online Library. March 31st, 2022. Accessed November 30th, 2022. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ruso.12388.
MediLexicon International. (n.d.). Food sustainability: Challenges and strategies. Medical News Today. Retrieved October 24, 2022, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/sustainable-gastronomy-can-food-abundan ce-be-sustainable
Virginia Wesleyan University Environmental Studies Program “Serving sustainability: How sustainable foods impact the environment.” wvu.edu (2019, July 31). Retrieved October 5, 2022 from https://online.vwu.edu/news/environmental-studies/sustainable-foods/
Mack, Dwayne. Berea College, Blackpast.org. February 11th, 2007. Accessed December 1st, 2022. https://www.Blackpast.org/african-american-history/berea-college/.
Mullins, Candace. Grow Appalachia 2021 Annual Report, Grow Appalachia. December 30th, 2021. Accessed December 1st, 2022. https://indd.adobe.com/view/9da8cfdf-39a1-4279-8c9b-82eedcb520e4.
Berea College. Grow Appalachia’s Introduction to Eastern Kentucky Direct Integrated Support Program, YouTube.com. June 23rd, 2020. Accessed December 4th, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpToLkoIk3s.
May, Morganne, "A Study of the Social, Cultural, and Environmental Influences on Appalachian Agriculture" (2021). University of South Carolina Senior Theses. 442. https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/senior_theses/442
Blackpast.org
Grow Appalachia Annual 2021 Report
Grow Appalachia Annual 2021 Report
Berea.edu