Participation Type
Panel
Session Title
Sustainability for Appalachian Medicinal Herbs, from Plants in the Ground to End Consumers
Session Abstract or Summary
Medicinal herbs have long been extracted and shipped out of Appalachia without much concern for the long-range effects of this on either the plants or the regional economy. In recent years, diverse efforts have begun to shift from an effectively colonial extract-and-export pattern to more-sustainable patterns of economic use for Appalachian medicinal herbs. We'll examine these efforts from four different angles: A small-scale herb farmer and wildcrafter will report on how she and other small-scale producers in her area have been working out patterns of herb production that are more sustainable for their land, themselves, and their community. An Appalachian manufacturer of herbal goods will discuss efforts to improve ecological and human sustainability all along the supply chain from herbs in the ground to end consumer of herbal products. A specialist in non-timber forest products will report on efforts to document quantities and prices of medicinal herbs, and how that data can inform and affect various stakeholders involved with Appalachian medicinals. And a longtime forest medicinals researcher will report on regional efforts to build and support a community of forest farmers who can work together to grow, propagate, and market their herbs more sustainably.
Presentation #1 Title
Finding the Right Pattern: Medicinal Herbs for Sustainable Appalachian Homesteads
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
A wide range of medicinal herbs grows well in Appalachia's diverse patches of soil types, slopes, sun exposures, and water supplies. For this and other reasons, cultivation and wild-harvesting of medicinal herbs is a longstanding Appalachian cultural tradition and source of income for rural people in the region. Matching suitable herbs, and a suitable marketing pattern, to a specific family farm's location, human resources, and other characteristics can be a key to both ecological and economic sustainability for the farm, its family, its local community, and its relationship to the wider world beyond Appalachia. We'll look at the role medicinal herbs have played in one North Carolina mountain homestead farm's evolving pattern of sustainability, consider when and why some specific herbs can (or might not) be a good fit for a particular farm, and note other factors to consider when seeking the "right" pattern for any homestead farm and its people.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Tricia Shapiro grows and wild-harvests medicinal herbs at her small homestead farm in western North Carolina. Some herbs she sells wholesale, to Red Moon Herbs, but most are used to handcraft value-added herbal products to sell along with other farm produce at Asheville City Market, online, and wholesale to a few retail stores. She is also the author of more than 20 books, including Mountain Justice: Homegrown Resistance to Mountaintop Removal.
Presentation #2 Title
Creative Ways to Supply Herbs to a Small Product Manufacturer
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
Red Moon Herbs, a small herbal products manufacturer in Appalachian North Carolina, has various growers and wildcrafters of high-quality medicinals in its supply chain. Red Moon's goal for all of the plant material used in its herbal extracts is that it be fresh and harvested in peak season as from healthy plants in the wild. Relationships with herb suppliers are key. Red Moon's director will discuss some of the ways growers and wildcrafters can make sure the proper part of the correct plant gets to the buyer, how one can justify a higher price per pound in the marketplace, how to get multiple crops out of one plant, and ideas for value-added products that are still in demand from Appalachia. Red Moon usually processes very common plants that many of us know as weeds, but continues to passionately pursue ways to foster sustainability for high-demand plants such as ginseng by transitioning to using alternative parts of the plant and wild-simulated forest-grown plants, and by raising awareness of sustainability issues.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Jeannie Dunn is the owner of Red Moon Herbs in Asheville, NC, where she and her staff create herbal products primarily from local, abundant plants harvested in peak season in the Wise Woman tradition. Jeannie has been wildcrafting and making herbal extracts, oils, and salves for over a decade. Her herbal roots extend to the back-to-basics lifestyle she knew as a child on a multi-generational family farm in Efland, NC.
Presentation #3 Title
Gathering and Sharing Market and Harvest Data for Non-Timber Forest Products
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
Iconic medicinal forest plants that have long been a source of livelihood and sustenance in Appalachian communities are increasingly seen as having a role in sustainable economic development in the region. One of the obstacles to sustainably managing or producing these “non-timber” forest products (NTFPs) such as ginseng, goldenseal, and bloodroot is that unlike other natural resources like timber, the harvest of understory plants is not systematically tracked or measured. Similarly, the value of NTFPs to producers and the economic impact of the industry is unknown. RootReport, a Viginia Tech extension program, uses surveys and interviews with root and herb buyers to provide market research and harvest data, including trade volume, prices paid to harvesters, and where plants are sourced. This presentation will discuss the creation and findings of RootReport after three years of data collection. We will also explore how the results affect different NTFP stakeholder groups, including the traditional supply chain relying on wild-harvested material, emerging agricultural production systems, policymakers, conservation groups, and consumers.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Steve Kruger is a Ph.D. candidate in Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech. He studies Appalachian non-timber forest products, and lives with his wife and son in Giles County, VA.
Presentation #4 Title
Building a Southern Appalachian Forest Farming Community
Presentation #4 Abstract or Summary
The Southern Appalachian region has a long history of wild-harvesting medicinal herbs, such as ginseng, goldenseal, and black cohosh, for export to Asia and other foreign markets. As demand for these herbs has increased, the damage to wild populations of these native plants has reached alarming levels. We are interested in helping people within our community continue to enjoy being in the forest and generate some income while, at the same time, helping to conserve our native plants. With these objectives in mind, a group of university faculty from several Appalachian states have partnered with several nonprofit organizations to teach people how to grow and sell these herbs. In the process we are building a community of forest farmers who can work together to produce and market their herbs. In addition, we conduct research on how to better grow and propagate these plants and offer online tools to assist with finding buyers.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Dr. Jeanine Davis is an associate professor and extension specialist in Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University located at a research and extension center near Asheville. For three decades, her program has helped farmers improve the profitability of their farms by growing new crops, transitioning to organic agriculture, and adopting more sustainable practices. Subjects of her research include ginseng, ramps, hops, truffles, medicinal herbs, organic vegetables, and industrial hemp, to name just a few.
Conference Subthemes
Environmental Sustainability, Economic Development
Finding the Right Pattern: Medicinal Herbs for Sustainable Appalachian Homesteads
A wide range of medicinal herbs grows well in Appalachia's diverse patches of soil types, slopes, sun exposures, and water supplies. For this and other reasons, cultivation and wild-harvesting of medicinal herbs is a longstanding Appalachian cultural tradition and source of income for rural people in the region. Matching suitable herbs, and a suitable marketing pattern, to a specific family farm's location, human resources, and other characteristics can be a key to both ecological and economic sustainability for the farm, its family, its local community, and its relationship to the wider world beyond Appalachia. We'll look at the role medicinal herbs have played in one North Carolina mountain homestead farm's evolving pattern of sustainability, consider when and why some specific herbs can (or might not) be a good fit for a particular farm, and note other factors to consider when seeking the "right" pattern for any homestead farm and its people.
