We are wearing sandals and Jamie Ager is wearing boots; but then, he is the farmer and we are the visitors to Hickory Nut Gap Farm near Asheville NC. We’re here to learn about this successful small farm operation that has been in Jamie’s family four generations. He marches us through a lush field past free range chickens and turkeys and a herd of beef cattle grazing on a mix of grass and other grains. For the next few weekends he’ll be hosting visitors who want to pick pumpkins, eat fresh apples, pet farm animals and generally enjoy a fall day on a local farm. As a small farmer who sells within his own foodshed, Jamie knows how important it is to keep educating the public about the importance of small farms.

Our visit is sponsored by the Benwood Foundation of Chattanooga where I’m working with Kristy Huntley, Program Officer and Financial Officer. We are exploring ways to invest in Chattanooga area food system reform efforts, with the intent of expanding opportunities for local farms, increasing access to fresh healthy food, and reducing damage to the natural environment. Asheville has some lessons to teach us in that regard. Beyond Hickory Nut Gap Farm, there are many local farmers markets and community gardens, and the area is home to Greenlife Grocery and EarthFare, two large retailers that emphasize fresh and local sources of food. And the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project is dedicated to the promotion of local and regional food systems.

The Benwood Foundation is similarly committed to local initiatives in Chattanooga, and there are a growing number of small farmers and supportive initiatives that deserve philanthropic support. Local government is linked to these efforts as well through the Chattanooga Hamilton County Health Department and the School Nutrition Program in local schools. Farmers are getting savvier about marketing to local distributors and restaurants, and interest in community gardens is at an all time high. In the Chattanooga suburb of Hixson, one large church has plowed up its softball field and planted fruits and vegetables.

As encouraging as this all is, the big-agriculture food system is far from threatened.  The decades-old partnership between agribusiness and government efficiently delivers cheap (though not very healthy) food to millions. The costs to people’s health, to the environment, to community and to food safety have never been a priority. Thankfully, farmers like Jamie Ager are no longer considered a dying breed, and there is increasing momentum behind their more traditional way of thinking about and producing good food.  With leadership like the Benwood Foundation’s, there is a fighting chance these grassroots reform efforts are on the way to being mainstream!