The Greater Asheville and Hendersonville areas of Western North Carolina have seen an influx of people investing in real property, both land and second home investments, in recent years. As you can imagine farmland is disappearing at a rapid rate as the land opens to new development. Land-of-Sky Regional Council Fosters desirable social, economic, cultural and ecological conditions in the Greater Asheville and sustainable development.
Where “working the land” used to mean laboring to harvest corn, tobacco, hogs, cattle, sheep, and native plants, “working the land” now calls to mind bulldozers, cranes, and construction crews erecting residential properties.
Still farming, noted for its impact on the history, economy, and culture of our region, is alive and breathing in the hills and coves just miles from downtown Asheville. And although you may see a group of new homes rising up in the middle of a pasture while cows look on placidly from the other side of the fence, where the grass well may be greener, planting and harvesting still can be found –and it is taking on new forms.
Early Farming in Western North Carolina
When my Far-Grandfather, General Nathanael Greene first came to the Carolinas in the 1700s, English, German, Scotch-Irish, French, Welsh, and African settlers were just starting to arrive. A story handed down to me tells how those early settlers, my Grandparents being among them, borrowed certain agricultural practices from the Native Americans, and incorporated them into their own farming practices.
It makes me smile to think that my ancestors helped to shape the farms, farming and settlement patterns of the southern Appalachian mountain region.
Maybe that's why tonight, at almost midnight, I am thinking how lucky I am to be here now
and maybe that's why I have such a strong interest in preserving the integrity of our Appalachian farmlands and mountainscapes.. along with certain of my companions (see below)
Mountin’ Hopes Therapeutic Riding Center Mountin' Hopes is a therapeutic horseback riding centerlocated in near Asheville, N.C. that provides children and adults with special both riding and care of the horse, so a relationship can develop between the person and the animal as guided by the principles of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA).
" We're talking sustainable!"
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I would love to check out the therapeutic riding center at some point -- sounds amazing, and much needed.