OUR MISSION
The Why Behind Our Work
The Appalachian Resource Conservation & Development Council is 501(c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to the 10 counties of northeast Tennessee , while also supporting statewide conservation.
Our mission is to conserve natural resources and improve rural economies through community leadership and enhanced educational opportunities.
ARCD
Our History
local food and farms for all
Established in 1994, the Appalachian Resource Conservation & Development Council provides training to farmers and backyard gardeners, lends promotional support to farmers markets, works to increase local food access, and strives to improve the local food system as a whole by bridging the gaps between producers, buyers, distributors, restaurants, and consumers.
We connect farmers, gardeners, food entrepreneurs – and those who want to be – with resources, education, and networks, to foster healthy, thriving and resilient communities for all.
What is RC&D?
RC&D stands for Resource Conservation & Development. The RC&D Program for the United States was established in the Agriculture Act of 1962 with the administration responsibility placed within the Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). RC&D Councils were formed out of this basically acting as a non-profit arm of NRCS.
The History of Appalachian RC&D Council
1992 – Roy Settle, SCS District Conservationist, was seeing what RC&D Councils were doing across the country. At the same time, Sullivan County Executive Johnny McKamey requested assistance with regional land use issues from the Sullivan SCD to ask if this region could have an RC&D like the Clinch-Powell area. Roy Settle was assigned to determine interest and need in 6 Northeast TN Counties. County Executives, SCD Representatives, SCS District Conservationists from all Counties shared resources they needed and gave consent to apply for RC&D status. Public input and meetings were held to make a strategic plan. House and Senate members were lobbied to support the authorization by the USDA.
1994 – This new RC&D was officially authorized in 1994 by the Secretary of Agriculture. Roy Settle was named as the Project Coordinator.
Read Roy’s 30 year introspective here.
During this year, the then named Appalachian Northeast Tennessee RC&D Council, hosted a variety of programs and events including a Regional Household Hazardous Waste Collection with more than 1 million pounds of hazardous waste safely disposed. The first Regional Annual Envirothon, which is still hosted by the ARCD, was held at Winged Deer Park in Johnson City. This RC&D also successfully got toll free calling implemented within our six county range.
1990s – Throughout the rest of the 90s, the organization continued with programming introducing the Conservation Camp and Earth Teach focused around elementary, middle and high school students and First Wheels which provided vehicles for those who couldn’t work due to not having access to a vehicle.
The AmeriCorps NCCC Disaster Relief Team was hosted at Roan Mountain State Park in response to the Roan Mountain, TN flood.
2000s – Work in conjunction with the Upper TN River Initiative began building demonstration sites and technical assistance with riparian easements and public education. ARCD becomes a member of the Holston River Watershed Alliance and Boone Watershed Partnership.
The council also worked with the Land Trust for Tennessee to establish a regional outreach and field office for conservation easements, and develops the regional Greenways & Trails Plan through public input, GIS mapping, National Park Service, TVA and local Parks and Recreation departments. FireWise Community Wildfire Planning and Response also began for residential communities growing in rural mountain areas to plan and design for wildfires.
2003 – The Northeast Tennessee Quilt Trail is established with the first barn quilt painted by Clara Thomas in Bristol. The Quilt Trail increased in popularity leading to histories of quilts and community stories recorded, and a Quilt Trail Days Bus Tour event that launched a popular tourism activitiy – journeting along The Quilt Trail.
In 2008, ARCD was awarded Outstanding Council of the Year by the TN Association of RC&Ds.
Today the Quilt Trail now includes more than 125 barns and downtown sites in 6 counties.
2012 – The USDA ended all funding and staffing nationwide for RC&D Councils in 2012, basically leaving the program to sink or swim. Thanks to the rallying efforts of the council members, the wider community, and AmeriCorps, ARCD was able to continue on as one of few remaining RC&D Councils in the state of TN and the nation.
In 2013, The Build It Up Backyard Gardening Program began teaching local families how to garden in their backyards.
Just a few years later, the Field School Program was introduced as a regional beginning Farmer Training Program. ARCD also partnered with Jonesborough Locally Grown to start Boone Street Market in downtown Jonesborough, TN.
2020s – In 2020, the Field School Program wins the TACD Education Award and expands to include both a Summer and Winter option.
Supporting the opening of the Appalachian Producers Cooperative, the first coop to form in more than 50 years in Tennessee, was a multi-year project finally celebrated in 2024.
In 2024, ARCD celebrated our 30 year Anniversary with a community-wide party celebrating cultivating common ground over the history of our organization.
ARCD has grown to include staff members for 4 Core Area Program including Farmland Conservation, Farmer & Gardener Training, Local Farms & Foods, and Nutrition & Food Access.