Over the last 20 years, SARE grants have helped western North Carolina transform its agricultural landscape from one dependent on tobacco and outside entities to one that is self-sustaining within the community. Charlie Jackson, the executive director of the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), has been using SARE grants to better understand the demand for local food and to share the importance of localizing a food system. SARE’s investment has helped this community adopt a local food movement that has provided increased opportunities for farmers and businesses connected to food and farming.
Discover a wealth of practical resources on building local and regional food systems.
Want more information? See the related SARE grants:
- Growing Local - Phase III (LS17-285)
- How Local Food System Development Affects the Sustainability of Agriculture: The Impact of Farmer-Consumer Interactions on Production Practices (CS15-092)
- Growing Local – Phase II (LS14-260)
- Growing Local – Phase I (LS11-239)
- Appalachian Grown: Toward Regional Community-based Food Systems (LS03-146)