The Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer Coalition (ABFFC) is a network of forestland owners, universities, and governmental and non-governmental organizations that share a common goal of improving agroforestry production opportunities and farming capabilities among forest farmers. Our collective aim is to increase awareness of forest-grown medicinal plants through education and relationship building, and support conservation efforts through stewardship of existing plant populations and forest farming of these native botanicals.
By becoming a member of the ABFFC, you will gain access to a variety of resources, including:
- Training hosted across the region, led by experienced forest farmers, researchers, and other experts in the non-timber forest product sector
- Multimedia forest farming resources
- Opportunities for networking with stakeholders from across all areas of the supply chain including natural supplement industry buyers and distributors
- “Ask an Expert” feature giving you direct access to some of the foremost experts on a range of Appalachian forest farming topics
- Access to the Coalition forums
In September 2016 Rural Action hosted its first event in collaboration with the ABFFC, a two-day forest farming conference at United Plant Savers Goldenseal Sanctuary. The conference covered site selection, planting methods, cultivation, harvest, post-harvest handling, and value-added production for a variety of forest herb species, and included both indoor and outdoor instruction.
