Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project is pleased to be a partner for the 2015 Get It Guide. ASAP’s mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food.
ASAP developed the Appalachian Grown program to support Southern Appalachian farms and build a community-based food system. With Appalachian Grown, ASAP aims to expand local markets for area farms and provide a way for the public to easily identify products from local farms. Find it on products and packaging, as well as displayed by participating grocers, restaurants and other businesses.
Our research shows that this region wants our food purchases to support the local community, local economy and local farmers. When using the Appalachian Grown logo, we know the food featured is authentically local; it is grown or raised on a family farm in our Southern Appalachian region.
More than 800 family farms, nearly 500 business outlets and dozens of farmers tailgate markets are Appalachian Grown certified, and those numbers are growing. Find a list of Appalachian Grown partners in ASAP’s annual Local Food Guide, published in April 2015. With more than a million printed and distributed in the last 10 years, the Local Food Guide is the definitive resource for local food in Western North Carolina. Or, search the online guide at appalachiangrown.org.
Why buy local? Why should you ask for Appalachian Grown? Our choices matter:
• Keep value in the local economy: Buying local is about more than where we spend our dollars: It’s about supporting what we value in our community, like fair pay, sustainable agriculture, healthy food and strong local economies.
• Build community resilience: Buying local supports a diversity of innovative and interdependent businesses that make it possible for communities to both survive and thrive in good times and bad.
• Strengthen community ties: Purchasing products made or grown by our neighbors builds relationships that strengthen the economy while creating opportunities for greater civic engagement.
• Create the food system we want: When we buy local, we exercise our power to change the food system to one that is more transparent and more supportive of our farms, workers, environment and the entire community.
• Celebrate local character and heritage: Buying local ensures that our farms and local businesses remain vibrant and productive and contributes to preserving our scenic landscape and unique culture.
Appalachian Grown: Ask for it by name!
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