Project Overview
Increasing demand for high- quality, herbal and
nutraceutical products is improving the financial equation for forest farmers.
Receiving premium prices for medicinal plant products depends on a forest
farmer's ability to consistently supply forest grown material. The Appalachian
region contains native habitat for more than 15 forest farmable medicinal
plants and is home to rich ethnobotanical connections. If trained and connected
(to fellow forest farmers and service providers), beginning Appalachian forest
farmers will be in a better position to capitalize on industry demand and
sustain premium sales of high-quality forest grown organic stock. A
collaboration across multiple academic institutions and governmental and
non-governmental organizations, the Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer
Coalition (ABFFC) is a project that increases opportunities for forest farmers
and forestland owners in Appalachia and beyond who are interested in starting
or expanding/diversifying a forest farming operation.
We are a diverse project partnership ranging from Georgia to Pennsylvania with
four non-governmental organizations, four universities, extension, three agency
partners, forest farmers, and a forest grown verification program, all with
extensive technical and market-based experience. Our goal is to support
beginning Appalachian medicinal plant forest farmers by forming a coalition
that provides technical, administrative, and market sales training and improves
access to farm resource inventory and plant habitat management services. To
accomplish this we 1) established an inclusive coalition with clear
organizational structure and decision making processes; and began to 2)
educate, train, and support beginning forest farmers; and 3) improve forest
farm inventory and medicinal plant habitat management services for beginning
forest farmers. Long-term condition change will be an improvement in
agroforestry production opportunities and farming capabilities among forest
farmers in Appalachia which positively impacts families, farms, and
communities.
Number of Participants: 1052
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