The Sustainable Development Civic Garden, located at the Living Learning Center, is a place where faculty, students, and community members work together and innovate. It is an educational garden where Sustainable Development teaches courses on sustainable agriculture. They use organic methods to grow food, build soil and cycle nutrients with compost, and sequester carbon with fruit trees and reduced tillage.
The heritage garden is a highlight within the Garden and preserves biodiversity, including native American and Southern Appalachian culture and heirloom seeds. They raise annual crops, such as native American "Three Sisters" (corn/bean/squash), and long-lived, perennial crops, including blackberries.
The generous AgSouth grant will fund an Appalachian rail fence around the heirloom crops and trellises for brambles. Vertical agriculture is important in urban agriculture to make good use of space. The new infrastructure will support educational and outreach programs, including local elementary and high school students. The funding will cover outdoor seating, picnic tables, signage, and increase accessibility with ADA-compliant pathways. The Sustainable Development program offers training for future farmers, gardeners, and food system practitioners. They also focus on community service by donating food to F.A.R.M. cafe.
The Department focuses on community development, environmental justice, local food systems, and climate resilience. Students learn hands-on in the garden, develop a connection to the land, and are prepared to address many of the environmental and social challenges that we face.
Student clubs are key to the garden. The App State Gardening Club does a large part of garden operation during the academic year, and ASUREI is working on a new greenhouse.
Contact Anne Fanatico or faculty members of the garden committee for more details (Cody Miller, Matt Ogwu, Alexia Witcombe).
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About AgSouth
AgSouth Farm Credit provides loans for land, equipment, and production in agriculture, as well as crop insurance, leasing of equipment and home mortgages. They are based on Statesville, NC. This generous grants supports both Appalachian State University and the Sustainable Development program, as well as helps to promote agriculture and local economies.
About the Goodnight Family Department of Sustainable Development
One of seven departments housed in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the Goodnight Family Department of Sustainable Development at Appalachian State University prepares students to thoughtfully analyze human development while focusing on the applied practice of pursuing transformative, community-driven development with concentrations in agroecology and sustainable agriculture; community, regional and global development; and environmental studies; a Bachelor of Arts in sustainable development with a concentration in environmental studies; and a minor in sustainable development.
About the College of Fine and Applied Arts
Appalachian State University's College of Fine and Applied Arts is a dynamic and innovative group of seven academic departments, bringing together a variety of perspectives, experiences, and real-world education to provide unique opportunities for student success. The college has more than 3,500 undergraduate and graduate majors. Its departments are Applied Design, Art, Communication, Military Science and Leadership, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, and Theatre and Dance. Learn more at https://cfaa.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,253 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio, and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
AgSouth Grant 2025
AgSouth Grant 2025