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The history and survival of traditional heirloom vegetable varieties in the southern Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina

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  • James Veteto

Abstract

Southern Appalachia is unique among agroecological regions of the American South because of the diverse environmental conditions caused by its mountain ecology, the geographic and commercial isolation of the region, and the relative cultural autonomy of the people that live there. Those three criteria, combined with a rich agricultural history and the continuance of the homegardening tradition, make southern Appalachia an area of relatively high crop biodiversity in America. This study investigated the history and survival of traditional heirloom vegetable crops in western North Carolina and documented 134 heirloom varieties that were still being grown. I conducted interviews with 26 individuals from 12 counties in western North Carolina. I used a snowball sampling method to identify individuals or communities that maintained heirloom vegetable varieties, and used the “memory banking” of farmers’ knowledge as a strategy to complement the gathering of seed specimens. Most of the varieties were grown and saved by homegardeners; beans were the most numerous. Results indicate that usually only one or two individuals in a community maintained significant numbers of heirloom varieties and that many communities have lost their heirloom vegetable heritage altogether. The decline of the farming population combined with a lack of cultural continuance in family seed-saving traditions threatens the ability of communities to maintain crop biodiversity. Some of the cultivars may represent the last (small) populations of endangered varieties. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2008

Suggested Citation

  • James Veteto, 2008. "The history and survival of traditional heirloom vegetable varieties in the southern Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 25(1), pages 121-134, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:25:y:2008:i:1:p:121-134
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-007-9097-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Virchow, Detlef, 1999. "Spending on Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture: How much and how efficient?," Discussion Papers 280138, University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF).
    2. Bureau of Agricultural Economics & Bureau of Home Economics & Forest Service, 1935. "Economic and Social Problems and Conditions of the Southern Appalachians," Miscellaneous Publications 315986, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
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    Cited by:

    1. Kristie O’Neill, 2018. "Traditional beneficiaries: trade bans, exemptions, and morality embodied in diets," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 35(2), pages 515-527, June.
    2. Mahon, N. & Crute, I. & Di Bonito, M. & Simmons, E.A. & Islam, M.M., 2018. "Towards a broad-based and holistic framework of Sustainable Intensification indicators," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 576-597.
    3. Bauhardt, Christine & Brückner, Meike & Caglar, Gülay, 2015. "Understanding consumer behaviour: the social embeddedness of food practices," 143rd Joint EAAE/AAEA Seminar, March 25-27, 2015, Naples, Italy 202713, European Association of Agricultural Economists.

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