Calls for Speakers and Scholarship Requests are Open ~ 2026 Gather to Grow Forest Farming Conference!
Appalachian Forest Farmer Coalition Partner
Rural Action
Mission
Rural Action is a membership-based nonprofit working in the Appalachian counties of Ohio and West Virginia. Since 1991, our mission has been to foster social, economic, and environmental justice by training, organizing, and supporting communities to build a resilient, sustainable region from the ground up.
Vision
Our Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry programs envision a future where the hillsides of Central Appalachia are valued for their ecological integrity and economic potential.
Service Area
Primarily Southeast Ohio and Central West Virginia.
Featured Programs
Rural Action’s Sustainable Forestry program works with private landowners, government agencies, and non-profit partners to promote the development of sustainable, innovative, and integrated forest management strategies with a focus on the production and marketing of high-value non-timber forest products, or NTFPs.
A social enterprise of Rural Action that provides forest farming education, site visits, and technical assistance.
Located at the Nelsonville ACEnet facility, serves as a center for herb processing, aggregation, and distribution. Local growers of field and forest botanicals may access shared-use industrial-grade equipment.
On Farm Goldenseal Cultivation
Click here to read more about On Farm Goldenseal Cultivation in partnership with Rural Action Sustainable Forestry and United Plant Savers.
Events & Resources:
Southern Ohio Forest Farming Conference
An annual gathering for growers, researchers, and enthusiasts.
Technical Assistance
Site consultations for landowners interested in botanical cultivation.
Forest Farming Handbook 2nd Edition by Rural Action and United Plant Savers:
