Increasing Sustainable Agriculture and Economic Viability of Farms in Tennessee Through Education

View the project report

Commodities

Practices

• Animal Production: grazing management, grazing - multispecies, grazing - rotational, pasture fertility
• Crop Production: conservation tillage
• Education and Training: farmer to farmer, workshop
• Farm Business Management: farm-to-restaurant
• Pest Management: integrated pest management
• Production Systems: holistic management
• Soil Management: soil quality/health
• Sustainable Communities: food access and security, food sovereignty, local and regional food systems

Tennessee Local Food aims to increase sustainable agriculture and economic viability of farms in Tennessee and the Southeast region by hosting educational events and opportunities for farmers and also networking events that connect farmers to their consumers. This project will enhance and expand the work being done by Tennessee Local Food by allowing them to address the issue of sustainable agriculture, food sheds and food circles, direct marketing, slow food, chef collaborations, urban ag systems and food policy in the state of Tennessee and throughout the region through educational activities and opportunities for farmers, technical assistance providers and consumers to engage in, such as hands-on workshops, panel discussions, demonstrations, screenings, field days, and annual conferences. This project’s educational activities will focus on helping farmers to increase productivity to meet the food and fiber needs of the region through education, enhancing the quality of land, water, and air by helping farmers to learn and implement better stewardship practices, improving the economic viability of farms, and promoting the resilience and well-being of producers, their families, and society as a whole. 

This funding will help us grow beyond an annual conference that has been a considerable catalyst in the local food movement in the southeast, into a multi-event series of opportunities for education and networking through a formal and supported collaboration across several organizations which will bring multiple significant benefits to farmers and consumers in the region. This project builds upon the existing work of TN Local Food by adding organizational capacity in the form of a Communication Specialist and increases the time of our single, part-time staff person in addition to funding peer-to-peer learning opportunities, workshops and more.

1. Educate farmers so that they can grow ample food and fiber for the southeast by hosting events that will reach a minimum of 1,000 attendees
2. Educate farmers in sustainable stewardship so that they can enhance the quality of air, water, and soil through their farming practices which will be measured by the increase in positive stewardship practices in surveys post-season
3. Increase the economic viability of farms by educating farmers on business and marketing and by connecting them directly to consumers which will be measured in post-season survey on economic viability and growth, new markets reached, etc.
4. Increase the quality of life of producers and their families and society as a whole through specific workshops offered and by providing space for building connections and relationships.