About ASAP

Who We Are

ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) is a nonprofit based in Asheville, North Carolina, serving the Southern Appalachian region. Our mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food. Learn more about ASAP's programs on our primary website, asapconnections.org.

What We Do

Promote local food and farms. 

We publish the annual Local Food Guide and other materials to drive demand for local farm products and help consumers find them.

Identify local farm products. 

Our Appalachian Grown branding program includes more than 1,300 farms and partner businesses in the region.

Offer experiences. 

Events, such as ASAP’s annual Farm Tour and CSA Fair, give community members a stronger connection to local farms.

Build farmer capacity. 

We help farmers with business planning, marketing, and navigating market outlets through workshops, grower-buyer connections, one-on-one support, and Business of Farming Conference.

Support farmers markets. 

We provide promotional and technical assistance to more than 100 farmers markets in the region. We also operate Asheville City Market, a year-round Saturday morning farmers market.

Engage educators. 

Our Growing Minds Farm to School program works with schools and early childhood education centers to provide kids with food and farm experiences like gardens, classroom cooking, taste tests, farm field trips, and local food in cafeteria meals.

Improve community health. 

We engage healthcare professionals in using local food and farm connections as a preventive health strategy.

Increase access to local food. 

We’re expanding local food in schools and farmers market programs like Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables and Farm Fresh Produce Prescription.

Connect chefs and food retailers with farmers. 

We make it easier for restaurant, grocery, and wholesale buyers to find farms and ingredients, promote local products, and build lasting relationships.

Conduct research. 

Our Local Food Research Center works to better understand the role and impact of localizing food systems.