My name is Cali Clough and I have recently been hired on at Pine Mountain Settlement School as their Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator and Educator.  I graduated from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, in May of this year with my B.S. in Sustainable Development with a concentration in Sustainable Agriculture and Agroecology.  I feel very fortunate to have spent four years in Boone where the local food economy is deeply influenced by relationships between local farmers and their community.  

I got involved in the local food movement volunteering at Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture’s FoodHub, an online farmers market that allows producers income opportunities beyond a weekly in-person market.  The FoodHub is operated by volunteers that pack orders and organize the storage space for optimal efficiency each week.  I also volunteered at F.A.R.M (feed all regardless of means) Cafe, a pay what you can establishment on the main street of town that does incredible work serving the entire community.  F.A.R.M Cafe is the headquarters of the Full Circle program that aims to reduce food waste by repurposing imperfect fruits and vegetables that producers can’t sell into value-added products (think soups, popsicles, casseroles, etc.) that are then distributed to local nonprofits like the Hospitality House and Hunger and Health Coalition.

I am passionate about building local food systems where farmers are uplifted by their local communities.  There is great power in knowing where your food comes from and great potential for ensuring personal and planetary health by supporting local farmers.  Locally grown produce has higher nutrient retention than the produce that is picked green and sent through the global networks of transportation that our current food system relies on.  Supporting local food producers builds local economies by keeping dollars within a community, rather than supporting farms in far away states or countries.  Grow Appalachia is building resilience in local economies through their support of small-scale diversified farm operations with the capacity to practice climate-smart agriculture, unlike mass monocropping operations that require extensive chemical use, soil degradation, and resource inefficiency for success.  I am excited to contribute to the relocalization of Eastern Kentucky’s food system through community supported agriculture.

 I acknowledge the cultural and historical complexity of food systems and remain mindful of the harsh realities of food insecurity and access that create barriers to change in many contexts.  That being said, I am so excited for the opportunity to be the Grow Appalachia Associate for Pine Mountain Settlement School!  I have greatly enjoyed meeting our participants and cannot wait to continue building relationships with each Grow App Family to continue the incredible work of this initiative.