Our Programs

---

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 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.

Wholesale Buyers & Institutions: We're working toward GAP certification (expected March 2026) to expand direct farm to institution partnerships. Restaurants, markets, and other wholesale buyers can source from local farms while supporting small scale agriculture.

Families: Individual households are welcome to order directly from local farms through our platform, bringing fresh WNC food straight to your table.

As a program of the nonprofit WNC From the Ground Up, WNC Farm to Table creates reliable markets that keep farmers farming and ensures local food reaches everyone, from food access programs to family dinner tables. Our online platform serves as the operational backbone, enabling efficient aggregation of small farm production and quick response to partner needs.

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.

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.

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.

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.