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about cfsa

Our Mission
CFSA’s mission is to advocate, educate and build connections to create sustainable food systems centered on local and organic agriculture.

Our Vision
A regional food system that is good for the farmer, the consumer and the land. CFSA is a membership-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization of more than 2,300 farmers, gardeners, consumers and businesses in North and South Carolina. These members are committed to sustainable agriculture and the development of locally-based, organic food systems. Learn more about how you can join our efforts to grow a healthier food system for our communities.

What We Do
CFSA helps people in the Carolinas grow and eat local, organic foods by advocating for fair farm and food policies, building the systems family farms need to thrive, and educating and organizing farmers and the communities they serve.

Advocating:
We fight to expand access to healthy, local food through programs like Local Produce Safety Initiative and by participating in the Sustainable Food NC coalition. We work with governments to preserve farms and natural resouces by participating in state and local government councils and agencies.

Building:
We spearhead market development programs that connect growers with consumers, such as Eastern Carolina Organics, the Carolina Ground Organic Bread Flour Project, and our online Sustainable Food Guide. We protect farmers' and consumers' rights to food free of GMOs through projects like Saving our Seed. And, we help more farmers take advantage of federal funds for organic farming.

Educating:
We train farmers how to grow food organically at our Sustainable Ag. Conference, Organic Commodities and Livestock Conferences, and at workshops across the region. We support beginning farmers with our intern referral service, apprenticeship program and by funding scholarships to the Sustainable Ag. Conference. We create meaningful connections from field to table by bringing consumers to the farm through out Farm Tours. And, we promote the benefits of local, organic agriculture through our newsletter, website, social networking tools and member listservs. Finally, we motivate people who are inspired to Join the Food Revolution to take action.

CFSA was founded in 1979 by a group of farmers, gardeners and consumers to support each other and foster the growth of organic food in the Carolinas. Since then, we've developed a rich history, helping to define and grow the sustainable agriculture movement in our region.

CFSA is governed by a diverse Board of Directors. CFSA operates through efforts of our dedicated staff, and through the work of volunteers in our regional committees . Committees develop educational programs, work on local solutions to food system problems, and allow members to network with neighbors committed to healthy food and farms.

By joining CFSA, you help us empower communities to restore local control of our food supply and protect the environment from toxic and destructive farming practices. And you help give Sustainable Agriculture and the Carolinas’ fantastic family farmers a voice in local, state and federal policy.

Become a member today!

history
CFSA was founded in 1979 and became official by incorporating in 1982 and developed an organic certification program in 1987. The timeline below gives some of the highlights of our almost 30 years of work on sustainable food issues in the Carolinas.

1979 – CFSA was founded by a small group of farmers, gardeners and consumers

1981 – CFSA was incorporated as a NC not-for-profit organization

1986 – First Alternative Farming Field Day (eventually became the Annual Sustainable
Agriculture Conference)

1987 – CFSA develops an Organic Certification program

1988 – Received first grant, $15,000 from USDA

1989 – Received 501c3 tax exempt status

1989 – Received 2nd grant, $100,000 from USDA

1990 – CFSA member, Ken Dawson, testifies on Farm Bill

1991 – CFSA opens first official office in Carrboro, NC

1992 – Marjorie Bender becomes first full-time Executive Director of CFSA

1994 – A Kellogg Partners in Agriculture grant allowed CFSA and sister organizations to
create Mountain Partners in Agriculture. MPIA would be instrumental in creating the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP)

1995 – First Piedmont & Mountain Farm Tours

2002 – USDA National Organic Standards require certification to use the term “organic”

2003 – Saving Our Seed project was started by CFSA with grant funding from the        Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program.

2004 – CFSA creates Eastern Carolina Organics to help market Carolina organic         produce, with funding support from the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission.

2005 – Cricket Rakita began the Organic Seed Sourcing Service and One Seed at a Time seed bank through Saving Our Seed
ECO is formed as a LLC separate from CFSA

2006 – CFSA instrumental in blockage of the “GMO bill” that would have prevented NC
municipalities from banning genetically modified plants

2007 – CFSA launches its Farm Incubator program with support from the Ben & Jerry’s          Foundation.

board of directors

regional committees

Want to get involved in your area? Work with CFSA to develop a regional committee. Contact Roland to learn more.

Cultivate Piedmont

Cultivate Piedmont, a regional committee of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, will work to promote sustainable food systems in the Piedmont region of North Carolina through a range of education and outreach programs, and the continued operation of Cobblestone Farmers Market, a high-standards, producers-only farmers’ market in Winston-Salem. Partners in Cultivate Piedmont include the Triad Buying Co-op, Piedmont Triad Research Park, Triad Community Kitchen, Krankies Coffee, Slow Food Piedmont, Womble Carlyle Sanders Rice and numerous other community partners. 

The regional committee was recently awarded a grant from the Winston-Salem Foundation to hire a program manager for Cultivate Piedmont, who, in addition to the Cobblestone market, will oversee education and outreach programs, including cooking classes offered throughout the community to focus attention on healthy eating by the seasons, school outreach, and support of fresh local produce availability among underserved communities.

The grant will also provide matching funds for farmers market shoppers who use their EBT (electronic food stamps) credits at the market.

Cobblestone Farmers Market will be opening on April 19 at a location across Third Street from its previous site and will continue to be open on Tuesdays from 10:00 to 1:00 through November. It is an all-local, producers-only market that brings fresh food into downtown Winston-Salem. Vendors are selected on the basis of their healthy, sustainable, and humane practices. Follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cobblestone-Farmers-Market/175172035853383

For more information, please contact Adrienne Outcalt, Cultivate Piedmont Program Manager .