Appalachian Collection

Agricultural Sustainability in the Southern Appalachian Mountains


 

Scope:

Sustainable agriculture defines a method of farming that integrates agriculture and ecology. It evokes a system of crop production that emulates natural systems, creating a balance between economic and environmental resources. Sustainable agriculture entails a blending of traditional farming methods found throughout the Southern Appalachian region with the present scientific and technological advances of humankind. This document is designed as an introduction to the literature on agricultural sustainability in the Southern Appalachian Mountains available in the Belk library or the W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection.

 

A good Introduction to this topic can be found in:

Listen to the Land: A Farm Journal Treasury . Kathryn Larson, ed. 1977. Philadelphia, PA: Countryside Press. 272 pages. ASU APP COLL STACKS: S521.5 .A2 L57.

Sustainable Mountain Agriculture. N. S. Jodha, M. Banskota and Tej Partap, eds. London: Intermediate Technology Publications. 2 volumes. ASU MAIN STACKS: S604.3 .S87 1992.

 

Some relevant Library of Congress Subject Headings
     (Search by "Subject" in the online catalog using these headings):

  • Agriculture
  • Agriculture -- Appalachian Mountains
  • Agriculture -- Appalachian Region, Southern
  • Agriculture - North Carolina
  • Agriculture and State - North Carolina
  • Agricultural Conservation
  • Agricultural Ecology
  • Agricultural Innovations
  • Agricultural Systems
  • Alternative Agriculture -- United States
  • Hill Farming
  • Land Reform
  • Land Reform -- Congresses
  • Organic Farming
  • Sustainable Agriculture
  • Sustainable Agriculture -- Research
  • Sustainable Agriculture -- Societies, etc. -- Directories
  • Sustainable Agriculture -- Study and Teaching
  • Traditional Farming
  • United States. Dept. of Agriculture
  • United States. Dept. of Agriculture -- History
  • United States. Dept. of Agriculture. Economic Research Service

 

Other books including material about agricultural sustainability in Southern Appalachia can usually be found within these Library of Congress Call Number ranges:

F291.2

GN407 .F65 - GN407.4 .N48

HC79 .E5 - HC79 .F3

HD75.6 .A7 - HD75.6 .V36

HD1741 - HD1775

HN49 .C6

S411 - S589

 

More information can be found in the Appalachian Collection Clippings File under the Subject Heading: Agriculture

 

Some Frequently Cited or Relevant Books include the following:

Agroecology: Researching the Ecological Basis for Sustainable Agriculture. Stephen R. Gliessman, ed. New York: Springer-Verlag. 380 pages. ASU MAIN STACKS: S589.7 .A38 1990.

Bacon, Richard M. The Forgotten Arts: Yesterday's Techniques Adapted to Today's Materials. Dublin, NH: Yankee, Inc. Multi-volume set. ASU APP COLL STACKS: S501.2 .B3 1975.

The Foxfire Book.: Hog Dressing; Log Cabin Building; Mountain Crafts and Foods; Planting by the Signs; Snake Lore, Hunting Tales, Faith Healing; Moonshining; and Other Affairs of Plain Living. Eliot Wigginton, ed. Garden City, New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday. First in a series of seven Foxfire books. 384 pages. ASU APP COLL STACKS: F291.2 .F6.

Gaventa, John. "Land Ownership, Power, and Powerlessness in the Appalachian Highlands." In Cultural Adaptation to Mountain Environments. Patricia D. Beaver and Burton L. Purrington, eds. Series: Southern Anthropological Society Proceedings, No. 17. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press. 197 pages. ASU APP COLL STACKS: GN2 .S9243 no.17.

People, Land, and Community: Collected E. F. Schumacher Society Lectures . Hildegarde Hannum, ed. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press. 328 pages. ASU APP COLL STACKS: HC79 .E5 P433 1997.

Netting, Robert McC. Smallholders, Householders: Farm Families and the Ecology of Intensive, Sustainable Agriculture. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. 389 pages. ASU MAIN STACKS: GN407.4 .N48 1993.

Smith, Russell J. Farming Appalachia. Reprint from American monthly review of reviews, v.53. 307p. ASU APP COLL STACKS: S451 .A137 S56.

 

Journals, Bulletins and Newsletters containing articles on sustainable agriculture in Southern Appalachia includes:

Appalachian Journal. Boone, NC: Appalachian State University. v. 1, 1972 to present. [Indexes: vols. 7, 18, & 23]. ASU APP COLL STACKS: F216.2 .A66.

Foxfire. Rabun Gap, GA: Foxfire Fund, Inc. vols. 1-26, 1967 - 1992. ASU APP COLL STACKS: GR1 .F59.

Journal of the Appalachian Studies Association. Johnson City, TN: Center for Appalachian Studies and Services. Lib has vols. 1-4, 7. ASU APP COLL STACKS: F217 .A65 J68.

Mountains of Experience. v. 1 of: Journal of the Appalachian Studies Association. Parks Lanier, ed. Boone, N.C.: Appalachian Consortium Press, 1989. 177 pages. ASU APP COLL STACKS: F217 .A65 J68 vol. 1.

Mountain Life and Work. Berea, Ky: Berea College. Lib has Bound: v.6-7, 11-13, 15; v.33, 1957-v.64, 1988. ASU APP COLL STACKS: GR103 .M5; Lib has Microfilm: v.1, 1925-v.52, 1976. ASU APP COLL MICROFORMS.

Other journals of importance include:

Progressive Farmer. Birmingham, AL, etc.: Progressive Farmer Co. Lib has Bound: v.90-97, 1975-1982. ASU PERIODICALS.

The Mother Earth News. Arden, N.C.: Sussex Publishers. v.1, 1970 to present. ASU PERIODICALS.

Various articles appear in the W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection that are reprinted from the

 

Bibliographies that contain relevant materials include:

Appalachian Bibliography. 1980. Morganton, WV: West Virginia University Library. ASU APP COLL STACKS: Z 1251 .A7 A6 1980. See Agriculture , pages 12-24.

Bibliography of Southern Appalachia. Charlotte T. Ross, ed. Boone, NC: Appalachian Consortium Press, 1976. ASU APP COLL OVERSIZE: Z1251 .A7 B5x. See Agriculture , pages 1-6, subject.

Graves, Glenna Horne. 1998. A Selected Bibliography on Agriculture and Modernization Relating to the Appalachian South. Lexington, KY: the compiler. 6 leaves. ASU APP COLL STACKS: Z 5075.U6 A6 1988b.

Additional bibliographies on sustainable agriculture can be located at the University of Asheville Library. They include:

Gates, Jane Potter. 1992. Sustainable or Alternative Agriculture: January 1990-September 1992. Beltsville MD: National Agricultural Library. 84 pages. UNCA FED DOCS: A 17.18/4:93:03.

DeMuth, Suzanne. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): An Annotated Bibliography and Resource Guide. Beltsville, MD: National Agriculture Library. 10p. UNCA FED DOCS: A 17.18/6:93-02.

 

Guides, Dictionaries and Statistical Sources:

Educational and Training Opportunities in Sustainable Agriculture, by the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center. Belstville, MD: National Agricultural Library. Lib. keeps latest ed. only. ASU GOV DOCS-US: A 17.2:ED 8/2/.

Glossary of Agricultural Terms, by the Food and Agriculture Section, Environment and Natural Resources Policy Division. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. 26 pages. ASU APP COLL STACKS: S411 .G56 1984.

Healthy Harvest II: A Directory of Sustainable Agriculture and Horticulture Organizations, 1987-1988. Susan J. Sanzone, Jenny Burman, and Mary Agnes Hage, eds. Washington, D.C.: Potomac Valley Press. 119 pages. ASU REF: S605.5 .H425 1987.

North Carolina Agricultural Statistics. Raleigh: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Cooperative Crop Reporting Service; and N.C. Dept. of Agriculture. 1939 to present. ASU REF: HD1775 .N8 N56.

 

Indices, Abstracts and Other Relevant Sources:

 

Abstracts:

Agricola. Online database. Offers abstracts of relevant research in the field of sustainable agriculture.

Environmental Abstracts Annual. New York: EIC Intelligence Inc. 1983 to present. ASU REF: GF1 .E553.
This service offers abstracts and indices from scientific, technological, and business journals; conference and symposium proceedings; newsletters; and academic and government reports. Relevant subject headings include Agriculture, Sustainability, and Agroeconomics.

Indices:

American Statistics Index. Bethesda, MD: Congressional Information Service, Inc. 1974-1997. ASU REF: HA37 .U55 A54.
This service offers statistical information and abstracts about agriculture and agricultural practices. Indices are divided by subject or category, including economic, demographic, and geographic breakdowns. Relevant abstract materials can be found in Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency sections.

An internet site with relevant information about agricultural sustainability in Southern Appalachia is www.mountain.org .

Map Sources:

World Atlas of Agriculture: Under the Aegis of the International Association of Agricultural Economics. Vol 3, , Americas of a 5 vol. set. Committee for the World Atlas of Agriculture, eds. Novara, Italy: Instituto Geografico De Agostini. See pages 409-465. ASU REF ATLASES: G1046 .J1 W6 1969 .

Other Relevant Materials:

Agriculture and the Environment. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. 325 pages. ASU Govt A1 .10:991.

Video :

Grassroots Small Farm. Anne Johnson, Director. Whitesburg, KY: Appalshop, 1988. 29 mins. ASU APP COLL VIDEOS: VC 33.

 


Compiler: Joanna B. Weintraub, 21 October 1997