- Read about all of ASAP’s work in response to COVID-19.
- Join the Appalachian Farms Feeding Families effort as a farm or hunger relief agency partner or by donating.
- Apply for the Appalachian Grown Immediate Needs Grants, get updates on other financial relief available to farmers, or contact ASAP directly for one-on-one assistance.
- Find best practices for farmers market operations and apply for the Farmers Market COVID-19 Response Grant.
- Learn more about the ASAP Farmers Market at A-B Tech, designed to keep shoppers and vendors safe.
- Read a report from ASAP’s Local Food Research Center on the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on farmers and market vendors.
- Find ways to buy food directly from farmers during this uncertain time.
COVID-19 Resources
This Week on Growing Local Radio
Chefs and Farmers Help People Affected by COVID-19
Chefs and farmers have always worked together to feed the community. These partnerships are more important than ever during COVID-19, especially for community members who have lost their jobs or are facing a greater risk of food insecurity. Several local chefs, farmers, and organizations are banding together to provide people with high-quality, farm-fresh meals. READ MORE
Growing Local airs on WNCW on Mondays during Morning Edition at 8:45 am, featuring the local food and farm stories we discover through our Local Food Research Center. Past broadcasts are archived on our website and can be heard on SoundCloud or iTunes.
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
What’s Fresh May 29-June 4, 2020
Local bamboo shoots might not be an item you would expect to find on farmers market tables, but they’re available now, either fresh or pickled, from Lee’s One Fortune Farm, at ASAP Farmers Market (both Thursday and Saturday), Black Mountain Tailgate Market, West Asheville Tailgate Market, and River Arts District Farmers Market. READ MORE
Recent Reports from the Local Food Research Center
COVID-19: Impact on Southern Appalachian Farmers and Vendors Selling to Direct Markets
March 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent closure of restaurants, schools, events, and in some places, disruption of farmers markets, is having an immediate and potentially devastating impact on farmers and vendors selling to local markets in the Southern Appalachians. In order to better understand these experiences and how to best support these farm and food businesses, ASAP surveyed the farmers and vendors in their network. Read the press release about the report.
EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems Food and Farm Assessment
November 2019: ASAP’s Local Food Research Center completed a Food and Farm Assessment in the seven western counties of North Carolina and on the Qualla Boundary to guide the work of the EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems Project.
