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Our Programs
What we do
Our programs build on each other to create a complete food system:
We start by supporting farmers with the resources and connections they need to succeed. We then help them move their food through markets and distribution channels that work for producers and communities. That infrastructure enables us to run food access programs that get fresh, local food to families who need it most. Throughout this work, we're building partnerships with government, nonprofits, and community organizations to strengthen the entire regional food system. And we're educating farmers, families, and communities about agriculture, nutrition, and food access to build knowledge and capacity across the region.
Each piece strengthens the others - when farmers thrive, food flows to where it's needed, and communities build the knowledge and connections to sustain local agriculture for the long term.
Farmer Support Initiatves
We provide education, technical assistance, and resource connections to farmers throughout Western North Carolina, with particular focus on supporting small scale and beginning producers who face barriers to agricultural success.
Our support includes connecting farmers with government programs (FSA, NRCS, Cooperative Extension, Soil and Water Conservation Districts), agricultural organizations (ASAP, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, RAFI), and resources for business planning, food safety certification, farmland access, and market opportunities. We help farmers navigate programs like Voluntary Agriculture Districts and Enhanced Voluntary Agriculture Districts, and connect them with land trusts and resources for farmland preservation and succession planning.
We maintain an online resource library covering farm business management, crop planning, GAP certification, financial assistance programs, and farmer wellness. Recognizing that many farmers in our rural region lack reliable internet or cell service, we are developing a physical resource library to ensure all producers can access the information they need.
Whether farmers work directly with our programs or not, we help them find the answers and connections they need to build viable farming operations in our region.
WNC Farm to Table
WNC Farm to Table brings Western North Carolina farms directly to the tables of families, food programs, and communities across our region.
Food Pantries & Community Programs: Order fresh, local food directly from farms to serve your community. Our system makes it simple to connect with farmers and coordinate deliveries.
Families: Individual households can order directly from local farms through our platform. We accept EBT/SNAP benefits to ensure families using nutrition assistance can access fresh, local food. We are also working to establish a local Double Up Food Bucks program that will match SNAP purchases, doubling the purchasing power of low income families while increasing sales for local farmers.
Market Development: We're pursuing GAP certification (expected March 2026) to enable direct farm to institution sales for schools, hospitals, and other entities with food safety requirements. These institutional partnerships will create reliable, larger scale markets for farmers while bringing fresh, local food into schools and healthcare settings. We also facilitate limited connections between farms and local restaurants or retail markets to expand market opportunities for small scale producers.
As a program of the nonprofit WNC From the Ground Up, WNC Farm to Table operates on a cost recovery model with a 15% markup that covers only aggregation, storage, delivery, and platform costs. This below market pricing ensures local food remains affordable for community members while creating sustainable income for underserved, small scale, Southern Appalachian farmers. Food access programs serving low income families receive additional subsidies through foundation partnerships, and we maintain a sliding scale approach to ensure economic barriers don't prevent access to fresh, local food. Our online platform serves as the operational backbone, enabling efficient aggregation of small farm production and quick response to community needs.
Sylva Farmers Market
Launched in 2024, the Sylva Farmers Market creates market opportunities for traditional Appalachian subsistence farmers, many of whom are longtime producers with deep agricultural knowledge but limited access to commercial sales channels. These are the farmers who have worked the land for generations, growing food the way their grandparents did. Many don't have the capacity to participate in our other food distribution channels due to scale, technology access, or production volume, and the market provides them a welcoming venue to sell directly to their community.
The market connects these farmers with community members seeking fresh, locally grown food while preserving agricultural traditions that are at risk of disappearing. By keeping vendor fees minimal and focusing on supporting small scale producers, we're ensuring that farming remains viable for families who might otherwise be priced out of traditional market spaces.
Beginning in 2025, we'll expand programming to include children's activities focused on local food and farming, supported by a Farm Credit grant. These hands-on experiences will help build the next generation's connection to agriculture, healthy eating, and the farmers who feed our community.
Food Access Programs
We operate charitable programs that increase access to fresh, locally grown food for low income and food insecure populations throughout Western North Carolina.
Through our partnership with MANNA FoodBank, we coordinate distribution of fresh, locally sourced produce to food pantries across the eight westernmost counties of Western North Carolina. Additional funding from Nantahala Health Foundation, Dogwood Health Trust (through WNC Food Systems Coalition), and Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation supports our ongoing work to connect local farms with families facing food insecurity.
We are working with local government, healthcare organizations, and community institutions to develop a long term, locally based food as health program that connects nutrition support with healthcare delivery.
Past Programs:
- Healthy Opportunities Pilot (October 2023 - June 2025): Delivered medically tailored food boxes to over 250 Medicaid member families per week across Jackson, Macon, Swain, and surrounding counties, distributing more than $718,000 in fresh, local food and completing over 340 home deliveries weekly.
- FarmsSHARE (2023 - August 2025): Partnered with Carolina Farm Stewardship Association to provide subsidized local food access, distributing over $200,000 in fresh produce to income qualified families over two years.anizations, and community groups to develop and strengthen local food systems infrastructure. Our organization serves as an active voice in regional planning and policy development that affects farmers and farmland.
Community Partnerships & Systems Development
We work collaboratively with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and community groups to develop and strengthen local food systems infrastructure. Our organization serves as an active voice in regional planning and policy development that affects farmers and farmland.
Recent collaborative work includes serving on the steering committee for Jackson County's Headwaters District Conservation Plan (approved October 2025), partnering with county planners and Cooperative Extension to update the Heavy Industry Ordinance to allow small scale meat processing (2022), and contracting for a Cost of Community Services Study (expected completion August 2026) to demonstrate agriculture's economic impact in our region.
Through participation on the Jackson County Agriculture Advisory Board, WNC Food Systems Coalition, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, and cattlemen's associations, we help shape policies and programs that support farm viability and farmland preservation across Western North Carolina.
Educational Programs
We provide education and training to farmers, families, and communities on topics including agriculture practices, food systems, nutrition, and food access, with particular focus on reaching rural communities in Southern Appalachia.
Our educational offerings include hands-on workshops like butchery classes, information sessions on farmland preservation and succession planning, and collaborative events that bring together farmers with government agencies (NRCS, NCDA, FSA), land trusts, and agricultural organizations. In February 2026, we're hosting Appalachian Farm School at our office, and we're developing a multimedia classroom space to expand our capacity for farmer and community education.
We also host farm to table dinners that create space for farmers, community members, and policymakers to build relationships, share knowledge, and strengthen support for local agriculture. These gatherings celebrate the work of our farmers while fostering the connections that sustain our regional food system.