We are so fortunate to live in Western North Carolina, with so many farmers, so much farmland, and the ability to grow a significant amount of our own food. The EPA and our government have recently approved additional pesticides and agricultural chemicals for use in the food system. Prior to this increase, one strawberry sample tested by the USDA was found to contain residues from 20 different pesticides, according to the Environmental Working Group’s analysis. Is this the “food” you want to eat? If others are going to make decisions about what chemicals enter our food system, then it is time for us to take greater responsibility for what we grow, what we eat, and the kind of food system we build here in our own community.

We should build a local food system where buying healthy, locally grown organic food is as normal and convenient as going to the grocery store. Not just during the summer, and not just on a particular day and time, but throughout the year.

Even the organic produce we trust from the grocery store is often picked before it is fully ripe, washed in chlorinated water, and shipped long distances before it reaches us. It’s picked early so it can survive the trip, but that also means it doesn’t have the chance to develop the full flavor and nutrition it would have if it were allowed to ripen naturally.

That means thinking beyond a farmers market and asking what our farmers need to make year-round production possible. For some, that may mean greenhouses or high tunnels. For others, it could mean irrigation, refrigeration, storage, equipment, or other infrastructure. Grants, subsidies, and other incentives could help farmers make those investments, specifically supporting farmers using organic and regenerative practices.

There is also an opportunity for our farmers to work together in a way that could benefit the entire community. Rather than every farm having to solve every problem independently, we could develop a network where farmers can coordinate resources, what they grow and work together to produce more of the food our community wants and needs.

And then we need somewhere for that food to go.

Local farmers have already expressed the need for a covered space with electricity where they can sell. It’s hard to spend extended hours outside in extreme heat or cold. We should explore a permanent, covered, year-round local market where people can shop for food grown by farmers from our own WNC region. If you need an onion, you can go there to get it.

This is about much more than where we buy our produce. It is about building a community that is more self-sufficient, more resilient, and more connected to the people who grow its food. It is about keeping farmland productive, improving the health of our soil, improving our own health, and giving people greater access to organic and regenerative food.

We do not need to wait for someone else to solve this for us. We can decide that this is something we want to build here, and then figure out what it would take to make it possible.

There is no finished plan, and there shouldn’t be one created by a single person. The farmers should help shape it. The community should help shape it. The first step is finding out what is already happening here, what is missing, and what we could accomplish if we started working toward the same goal.

The question to start with is simple:

What would it take for Western North Carolina to grow more of its own organic food, throughout the year, and make that food available to the people who live here?

I believe Asheville has the creativity, commitment, and community spirit to make something like this possible. We can create a local food system that is healthier for our land and our community.

If you believe this is worth pursuing, please add your name and help us get started.

If you believe Asheville and Western North Carolina should have greater access to healthy, locally grown food throughout the year, please add your name in support.

I support exploring a year-round local food system that:

• Expands access to organic, locally grown food throughout the year

• Specifically supports organic and regenerative farmers

• Helps farmers invest in greenhouses, high tunnels, and other season-extension infrastructure

• Creates opportunities for farmers to work together

• Explores a covered, year-round marketplace for local farmers

• Uses public and private funding to strengthen local agricultural infrastructure

• Makes healthy, locally grown food more accessible to the broader community

This is a request to explore and develop the right solution with local farmers and the community. It is not a request for a predetermined building, location, or operating model.

As we approach the November 2026 elections, the support gathered through this effort will be shared with local leaders and candidates so they can hear directly from the community about the importance of building a stronger, year-round local food system for Asheville and Western North Carolina. Please note, this petition has no political lean. 

The goal is to reach hundreds of thousands of people who believe this is worth pursuing. If you do too, please consider signing the petition and sending it to as many people as you can. That’s all it takes to be part of getting this started — one signature and one share can help this idea grow into something really meaningful for our community.