Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project

ASAPs Growing Minds program connects education, health, and wellness programming with local agriculture. This program provides support and resources in order to create healthy food environments and experiences to better the health of all members of our community, including children, their parents, teachers, and school staff. The program provides workshops and other training to educators so that they can integrate local food, healthy eating, and farm-based activities into their work. Implementation is supported through tools, resources, materials, and funds distributed to teachers and community health professionals across the region. This helps to facilitate the creation/maintenance of school gardens, provide cooking demonstrations, support local procurement for classrooms and cafeterias, or take farm field trips. The program facilitates positive local food and farm experiences for thousands of children throughout our service region. Dietetic Interns from partner colleges and universities are trained to implement farm-to- school activities in their future professions. ASAP continued the Growing Minds @ Community Colleges to embed farm to preschool into NC Community College early childhood education programs. Growing Minds co-facilitates the NC Farm to Preschool Network and serves on the advisory committee for the Farm to School Coalition of North Carolina.

The Local Food Research Center (LFRC) examines the social, economic, and environmental impacts of localizing food systems. The center researches and tests ASAPs theory of food system change. ASAPs theory is that creating democratic and responsive food systems will increase community well-being, build resilient economies, and support environmental sustainability. Closer connections and knowledge developed through food system experiences empowers citizens to consciously create a just and sustainable food system. LFRC provides research and support for ASAPs ongoing programming for farmers and the community, content and context for the Local Food Guide, ASAPs annual report, and more. Research findings also support ASAPs fundraising efforts and research staff provides content, framing, and writing support for several proposals. LFRC also provides ongoing evaluation assistance to other ASAP programs and administers ASAPs annual survey to farmers, which informs the work of the Local Food Campaign.