Funding a movement
to localize our food supply
Catalyzing an integrated living foodshed
in the Southern Blue Ridge region of Western NC
Our Mission
Image credit: R Farm ~ Weaverville, NC
The Blue Ridge Foodshed Trust is a bioregional financing facility dedicated to:
localizing our regional food supply;
catalyzing an integrated living foodshed; and
restoring the sacred nature of food.
We see a mutually thriving bioregion where life-giving farm food is produced, purchased and consumed within the Blue Ridge mountains of western North Carolina ~ by and for the remarkable people, ancient land and rich culture here.
Why?
Because we believe that working together to create a resilient local food economy is the best way to ensure the well-being of all life in our region.
How?
Through an innovative bioregional financing approach, we bring funding and other resources to an ecosystem of grassroots initiatives in the areas of food production, aggregation, storage, processing, and distribution ~ supporting the local heroes in our food system to focus more on their unique passions and expertise.
With a commitment to transparency and collaboration, we are on a mission to to localize our region’s food supply to the greatest extent in the shortest time possible.
Our Role
Collective Impact
We create the conditions for collaboration, coordination, and collective impact that no single organization could achieve alone. Aligned with living systems principles, we hold the vision of the whole while supporting the success of each part.
Diverse Funding
Transitioning away from
dependence on government and
charitable funding into a self-sustaining, resilient food economy through
a wide variety of aligned regional
and global funding sources.
Trusted Relationships
We nurture relationships of trust that form
the connective tissue between funders and community-based initiatives in our foodshed.
We also cultivate relationships with foodsheds outside our region to share best practices and address gaps in our seasonal food supplies.
Impactful Stories
We share the collective story of our foodshed to attract values-aligned leaders and funders, demonstrate transformative impact, and inspire similar movements elsewhere.
Focused regionally, connected globally
Blue Ridge Foodshed Trust is honored to be one of 22 bioregional organizing teams from North, South and Central America and Hawai'i invited to participate in the first-ever 2025 BioFi Cultivator, a very special incubator program facilitated by the BioFi Project.
The BioFi Project, a fiscally sponsored initiative of The Buckminster Fuller Institute, is devoted to the decentralization of financial resource governance, the cultivation of project portfolios for systemic change, and the transition to regenerative economies.
Our Partners
A living foodshed is rooted in a mutually supportive network of organizations who share a dedication to the vibrancy of our regional food supply. We are honored to call these remarkable organizations our friends and collaborators.
Let’s grow something together
Questions? Feedback? Want to explore ways to support each other? We’d love to hear from you!
Image credit: Wild East Farm ~ Marion, NC
Fill out this form or click the button below to send an email instead. We will get back to you within 1-2 business days.
Header image: Bearwallow Valley Farms ~ Edneyville, NC
Circle images: Wild East Farm ~ Marion, NC