Appalachian Forest Farmer Coalition Partner:
Appalachian Sustainable Development
Mission:
Since 1995, ASD has been working to grow a stronger Appalachia through agriculture. We do that through five different focus areas: Food Access, Agriculture Education, Workforce Development, Resource Management, and Economic Development.
Vision:
The vision of ASD’s Appalachian Harvest Herb Hub is to build and support a thriving and sustainable herbal economy in Central Appalachia, where plant conservation is achieved through profitable cultivation. This is part of ASD’s larger vision to build a strong, healthy regional food and agriculture system that benefits every Appalachian.
Service Area:
While ASD’s footprint started out primarily in Northeast TN and Southwest VA, we now work throughout several Central Appalachian states, including VA, TN, NC, KY and WV. The service area depends on the programming, grant funding, and community needs.
Featured Programs:
Appalachian Harvest Herb Hub:
You grow the herbs. We’ll grow your business! Are you looking to sell medicinal herbs to premium-priced markets? ASD’s Herb Hub can help by providing access to herb processing equipment and selling your herbs to buyers who pay top dollar. To learn more, check out the FAQs and Orientation Guide and sign-up for ASD’s newsletter at https://www.asdevelop.org/programs-resources/appalachian-harvest-herb-hub/. For questions, contact Robin Suggs, at rsuggs@asdevelop.org.
Resources:
Forest Farming Planting Stock:
Annual orders close mid-September and rootstock will ship from late October through November. https://asdevelop.org/product-category/planting-stock/
Ask an Agroforester Webinars, YouTube Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDvh8ZRjefWyyxfmfqgBuxWaR71NgGTiE
Forest Farming Calculator
Forest Farming Calculator, a Microsoft Excel-based tool that can be used for calculating the break-even prices for forest grown botanicals, was co-developed by ASD and the USDA National Agroforestry Center: https://www.fs.usda.gov/nac/resources/tools/forest-farming-calculator.shtml
Event Series:
Agroforestry Trainings for Natural Resource Professionals:
Attention natural resource professionals and mentor farmers! Do you want to learn more about forest farming, silvopasture, and alley cropping? If so, ASD’s Agroforestry Trainings for Natural Resource Professionals program is perfect for you, with online and in-person training opportunities available! Learn more and sign-up for ASD’s newsletter at https://www.asdevelop.org/agroforestry-trainings-fornatural-resource-professionals/. For questions, contact Stesha Warren, at swarren@asdevelop.org.
Ask an Agroforester:
ASD’s free webinar series provides a deep dive into specific agroforestry topics, featuring expert guest speakers from the field. A short presentation is followed by live Q&A with the audience. Recorded webinars are added to ASD’s YouTube playlist as a resource library. Learn more and sign-up for ASD’s newsletter at https://www.asdevelop.org/ask-an-agroforester/. For guest ideas/inquiries or questions, contact Emilie Tweardy, at etweardy@asdevelop.org.
Agroforestry Farm Tours:
Interested in seeing agroforestry practices on a farm near you? ASD co-hosts annual farm tours with mentor farmers throughout the region to share best practices and lessons learned. It’s a great peer learning opportunity to explore successful examples of silvopasture, alley cropping, forest farming, and more. Learn more and sign-up for ASD’s newsletter at https://www.asdevelop.org/news/agroforestry-farm-tour-series/. For questions, contact Wyn Miller, at wmiller@asdevelop.org.
