Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
From Tobacco to Local Food in Western North Carolina
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
The mid-1990s marked the beginning of a significant period of transition in agriculture in the Appalachian region of Western North Carolina. After more than 70 years as the dominant cash crop for farmers, production of burley tobacco was entering a period of sharp decline. Shifting societal attitudes toward tobacco and changes in federal policy to end a federal quota and price support program made tobacco unprofitable for the small mountain farms of the region.
Anticipating the economic, social, and cultural impacts the loss of tobacco could have on the region, a group of farmers, agricultural support professionals, and other community stakeholders came together in 1995 to explore community-based solutions to the challenges facing small farmers. Organizers hit upon the idea of “local food”and in 2000 launched a local food campaign to build a market alternative for farmers. Over the next decade and a half, campaign efforts focused on increasing the visibility of the region’s farms, connecting people to farms and food, and building consumer demand for locally grown farm products.
Using data from the USDA Census of Agriculture, this paper looks at changes that have occurred to food and farms in Western North Carolina in the aftermath of tobacco and in relation to the effort to build a more localized food and farming economy.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Allison Perrett is an applied anthropologist and has been involved in the local food movement in the Southern Appalachian region as both a practitioner and scholar since 2007. She co-directs the research at ASAP's (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) Local Food Research Center, which is studying the evolving food system in Western North Carolina and the social, economic, and environmental impacts of localizing food systems.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Charlie Jackson is the executive director and a founder of ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project). He is the author of numerous food assessments, feasibility studies, and scholarly articles and a researcher on local food system development with ASAP’s Local Food Research Center. He was inducted into the Western North Carolina Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2017.
Conference Subthemes
Economic Development
From Tobacco to Local Food in Western North Carolina
The mid-1990s marked the beginning of a significant period of transition in agriculture in the Appalachian region of Western North Carolina. After more than 70 years as the dominant cash crop for farmers, production of burley tobacco was entering a period of sharp decline. Shifting societal attitudes toward tobacco and changes in federal policy to end a federal quota and price support program made tobacco unprofitable for the small mountain farms of the region.
Anticipating the economic, social, and cultural impacts the loss of tobacco could have on the region, a group of farmers, agricultural support professionals, and other community stakeholders came together in 1995 to explore community-based solutions to the challenges facing small farmers. Organizers hit upon the idea of “local food”and in 2000 launched a local food campaign to build a market alternative for farmers. Over the next decade and a half, campaign efforts focused on increasing the visibility of the region’s farms, connecting people to farms and food, and building consumer demand for locally grown farm products.
Using data from the USDA Census of Agriculture, this paper looks at changes that have occurred to food and farms in Western North Carolina in the aftermath of tobacco and in relation to the effort to build a more localized food and farming economy.
