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Archived Outdoors

Local food on the rise

out naturalfoodLast year was a promising year for local food production and farm education in WNC, according to the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. ASAP provided some year-end figures to paint a picture of different milestones and achievements in 2012 and the preceding decade.

• Sales of Appalachian Grown farm products topped $100 million. 

• 20,000 school children took farm field trips, cooked and enjoyed local food, and more through ASAP’s Growing Minds Farm to School Program. 

Over the last decade: 

• The number of local farms selling direct to consumers has increased a whopping 855 percent, from 58 to 554. 

• The number of farmers tailgate markets has increased 184 percent, from 32 to 91. 

• The number of restaurants sourcing local food has grown 558 percent, from 19 to 125.