Project Overview
Annual Reports
Commodities
- Fruits: berries (strawberries)
- Vegetables: asparagus, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, garlic, greens (leafy)
- Additional Plants: native plants, ornamentals
Practices
- Crop Production: biological inoculants, foliar feeding, organic fertilizers
- Education and Training: technical assistance, demonstration, display, farmer to farmer, networking, workshop
- Farm Business Management: cooperatives, budgets/cost and returns, marketing management, agricultural finance, value added
- Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, habitat enhancement
- Pest Management: biological control, cultural control, field monitoring/scouting, integrated pest management, physical control, sanitation
- Production Systems: holistic management
- Soil Management: organic matter
- Sustainable Communities: new business opportunities, sustainability measures, community development
Proposal abstract:
Project Abstract: ASAEP = Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture and Energy Project Johnson County Tennessee has been on the ARC list of most distressed communities for years. Johnson County is also designated as a USDA Champion Community. Johnson County Champion Community Board will be acting as the fiscal agent for this project Appalachian Native Plants Inc (ANP) is a non-profit corporation that has entered into collaboration with, Johnson County TN, Appalachian State University, University of Tennessee and the local school system, with the intent of starting a regional horticultural “Native Plant” - “Organic Vegetable/Fruit” Initiative. The Johnson County government has granted ANP a twenty two year lease on the thirty nine acre landfill site which has been “capped” and closed for nine years. On this site ANP hopes to demonstrate the commercial viability of producing native plants and organic vegetable crops in passive solar growing structures. Appalachian State University would conduct the energy studies on these structures. University of Tennessee will help develop a WEB based marketing plan for the crops produced by the project. There are plans for both display and trial gardens to demonstrate the use and suitability of the chosen crops. A commercial size passive solar greenhouse and adjoining classroom will be the Nexus of the project. Sustainable Agricultural production is labor intensive. ANP expects to hire 4 full time employees within two years. Many other jobs will be created in nursery, food growing and landscaping trades in the county and region. The jobs that are created will create wealth.
Project objectives from proposal:
- ASAEP-Objectives: Economic stimulation and viability.Educational benefits derived from the Horticultural Education/Demonstration Center. Demonstration of “Green energy” technologies in agricultural production. Demonstration of Sustainable Agricultural methods of producing native plants and organic vegetables. WEB based marketing of crops produced through the project. Co-op style procurement of materials needed for the growing of these crops. Job and wealth creation through value added agricultural enterprises.