Grow Appalachia: Introducing New Technologies

Grow Appalachia is an organization headquartered in Berea, Kentucky, that focuses on the issue of food insecurity throughout the Appalachian region. They provide information and resources that help local growers put food on the table in the most efficient ways possible. As water pollution and lack of new infrastructure have become bigger problems, Grow Appalachia has looked for new methods and techniques to help increase efficiency and reduce costs. They've also worked with other organizations to allow easier access to some resources that could really help local growers. In 2023, the organization will do some of this work here at Pine Mountain State Park, at the Eastern Kentucky Farmer Conference. It will be a great opportunity for Appalachian growers to learn more about Grow Appalachia and strategies that will help them with their yields.

Grow Appalachia (GA) is one of many organizations that will attend the Eastern Kentucky Farmer Conference. GA’s main goal is to help address the issue of food insecurity in Appalachia. It offers a number of resources to help local families grow their own food, including educational programs about new technologies that offer efficient and cost-effective ways of farming.

Grow Appalachia’s origins

Grow Appalachia was founded by John Paul DeJoria, a successful entrepreneur. Coming from humble beginnings–DeJoria grew up in foster care in Harlan, KY–he wanted to find ways to give back to his community, and he began supporting charities and aid programs. One of his vice presidents, David Cooke, grew up in West Virginia and wanted to help address the issue of food insecurity. The Appalachian region is currently dealing with food security issues which have been prevalent for quite some time. Rural areas often don't have very many grocery stores, but they do have larger quantities of land per capita where they can grow their own food. So Cooke and DeJoria teamed up to create Grow Appalachia.

High-tunnel technologies

Grow Appalachia is focused on helping a variety of states in the Appalachian region become self-sufficient when it comes to putting food on the table. For instance, they teach about high tunnels–a kind of temporary greenhouse that provides a climate-controlled environment that protects crops from harsh temperatures. Their main purpose is to extend the growing season so that growers can produce things that would typically be out of season for longer stretches of time. This is especially important when dealing with food insecurity because you get more variety leading into the out-of-season growing months. The Appalachian region also has a number of animals that make harvests a depressing time. Squirrels, deer, rabbits, birds, and insects will clear out a healthy garden if left unprotected. Keeping everything indoors would provide a strong outer layer of protection. 

Drip irrigation

Along with keeping plants safe and healthy, it's also important to be efficient while growing. The mountainous Appalachian region receives balanced weather and a decent amount of rain. Although it's not big fields and constant sunshine, farming and gardening in the mountains can be a fairly pleasant experience. The problem is that the nearby water sources have been polluted in recent years and a lot of the systems used to transport water have become old and inefficient. That's why Grow Appalachia is trying to get people to implement newer technologies, like a drip irrigation system, so that growers can safely and efficiently produce healthy crops.

A drip irrigation system is like what you see at the grocery store in the produce section. A series of pipes run through the base of the plants and supply small amounts of water straight to the root of the plant. Research suggests that with drip irrigation, yields increased 35-40%, water usage and waste was reduced 40-50%, and costs on fuel and lubricants were reduced 10-20%. In an area where average income is typically lower, reduced costs and increased efficiency is imperative.

Agriculture and Outreach

Cooperative extension programs throughout the United States help local families access information from universities. Usually, only students and university faculty are allowed access to library databases and information outside of the school. Grow Appalachia is teaming up with schools like the University of Kentucky to help local families gain the necessary knowledge and apply it to their lives. It's not just enough to know about these things though. One can't simply see a high tunnel or drip irrigation system and immediately know how it works or how to set it up. That's why having access to those resources is so important. It's not just looking at articles about what they do. People can also go in and learn about how to buy them and how to install them as well. This program is happening all over the country. Locals are gaining access to university resources depending on their geographic area and what would benefit them.

Impacts and future trajectories

Grow Appalachia has already made a massive impact since starting out. They've already helped over 6,700 families grow over 6 million pounds of food across 6 states. They've helped build up local communities and made food insecurity less of a problem all throughout the Appalachian region. As the demand for more efficient water systems increases with more pollution and higher taxes, Grow Appalachia will have the opportunity to impact many more families.

Ruble, Sandy. “Cooperative Extension Section (CES).” Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities, 16 Feb. 2022, https://www.aplu.org/members/commissions/food-environment-and-renewable-resources/board-on-agriculture-assembly/cooperative-extension-section/#:~:text=The%20Cooperative%20Extension%20System%20is%20the%20nationwide%20transformational,in%20partnership%20with%20federal%2C%20state%2C%20and%20local%20governments. 

“Our History.” Grow Appalachia, 10 Mar. 2021, https://growappalachia.berea.edu/our-history/. 

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Dustov, J A. “The Drip Irrigation Method Is a Guarantee of High Yields.” ProQuest, IOP Publishing, 2022, https://www.proquest.com/docview/2705436809?OpenUrlRefId=info:xri/sid:wcdiscovery&accountid=14826.