Appalachia lost nearly 30,000 farms and more than 1.8 million acres of farmland between 2007 and 2017. The average farmer age is 65. When you project those numbers into the future, it paints a grim picture for what could happen to our food supply system unless something is done. 

Here at home, 1 in 8 families is food insecure, and we’re among the highest in the nation on average poverty, hunger, and unemployment. We are surrounded by food deserts (areas where low-income populations have limited access to transportation, and a limited number of retailers to provide fresh produce and healthy groceries at affordable prices). The pandemic showed us that, in crisis, our regional food security is too closely reliant on a national food system. 

And yet, among this poverty and struggle, there is so much potential. Appalachia has some of the most fertile land in the nation. Our communities, and our people, are hard working and resilient. There’s been a national shift in the perception of the value of Appalachia – caused, in part, by the pandemic. As more and more people have filtered into our communities, it’s reawakened our sense of Appalachian pride. We are embracing our roots, respecting the histories and traditions of being more self-sufficient and community-focused, while still reaching toward progress and change. 

Agriculture is at the heart of these issues: it’s both the solution to so many of the struggles Appalachia faces and the foundation for so much hope for the future. Nobody knows agriculture in Central Appalachia like ASD. We have an almost 30-year history of making impacts, and a strong partnership network that extends from Kentucky to Maryland to Georgia. We are leading the effort to change the narrative of Appalachia through agriculture, tailoring our work to meet the level of need in the community, whether that means raised beds at Bristol area schools or food boxes in Buchanan County.

That’s why it’s so important for ASD to expand, and to do it now. We’re building a 17+ acre campus that will be a hub for agriculture-based economic development. A place where we champion agriculture by teaching people how to grow in ways that are more innovative, efficient, and profitable. A place that gives rise to new agriculture and food businesses, more efficient and successful farms, a stronger regional workforce, and better access to nutritious food and the resulting positive health outcomes. Perfectly positioned between Bristol and Abingdon, with easy interstate access, the campus will provide critical infrastructure to support and strengthen not only food access, but emergency food access, through increased aggregation and distribution resources and increased agility for timely response in times of urgency.

ASD has an almost 30-year history of enriching the lives of Appalachians. Now, as we embark on this capital campaign, we celebrate those victories with our Appalachian communities and we look forward to another 30 years of even stronger impacts through agriculture.