Founders
 
In May 1991, three long-time advocates for family farmers in the South, Betty Bailey, Michael Sligh and Hal Hamilton, organized a meeting to discuss creating a regional organization that would promote sustainable agriculture in the South. At that meeting 21 people representing farms and 14 organizations in the South founded the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (Southern SAWG).  Their intent was to give Southerners a voice in solving agricultural and rural problems in the South and to give farmers the lead role in the process of making Southern agriculture more sustainable. 

Groups in the South were already working on pieces of the puzzle of sustainability, like rural community revitalization, saving family farms, providing minority farmer assistance and ensuring environmental protection, safe food and farmer-controlled marketing and credit reform.  The time was ripe to begin a dialogue among all of the efforts.  "It was encouraging and exciting to see groups come together from the whole region," recalled Jackie Langston of North Carolina, "especially since the South had not been in the forefront of sustainable agriculture up to that time."

"A real spirit of camaraderie developed when we realized there were lots of folks all across the region who were working on the same issues," says Keith Jones of Texas.  "We saw we had the critical mass to make a real change on some of these issues."

Most important of all, the creation of a working group on sustainable agriculture brought farmers to the table.  Benny Bunting of North Carolina says, "I looked at the creation of Southern SAWG as an opportunity for farmers to participate in the dialogue controlling our livelihood.  I was pleased that my views as a full time farmer and advocate paralleled with others interested in food safety, water quality, air quality and environmental issues."

John Matthews of Arkansas adds, "Sustainable agriculture was in danger of being co-opted by the same people who controlled conventional agriculture -- land grants, government and agribusiness.  You can't go to the store for solutions that you bought your problems from."  The creation of the Southern SAWG was an attempt to change the paradigm, to turn to the great diversity of farmers and their allies for solutions. 

We thank the following who attended that founding meeting for their vision and their commitment:

Kathy Amman (KY)	Community Farm Alliance
Betty Bailey (NC)	Rural Advancement Foundation International -USA
Benny Bunting (NC)	farmer
John Burns (VA)	farmer
Heidi Carter (OK)	Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture
Hal Hamilton, (KY)	Community Farm Alliance
David Harris (NC)	Land Loss Prevention Project
Kate Havel (NC)	farmer
Keith Jones (TX)	rancher, Texas Department of Agriculture
Jackie Langston (NC)	North Carolina Rural Center
John Matthews (AR)	farmer, Ozark Organic Growers
Teresa Maurer (AR)	Appropriate Technology Transfer to Rural Areas (ATTRA)
Toni Menk (KY)	farmer, Community Farm Alliance
Tere Shelly Moody (NC)	Carolina Farm Stewardship Association
Betty Mosley (NC)	Training and Development Resources
Renee Price (NC)	Agricultural Resources Center
Michael Sligh (SC)	Rural Advancement Foundation International -USA
Melba Smith (MS)	Mississippi Association of Cooperatives
Tom Trantham (SC)	farmer
Helen Vinton (LA)	Southern Mutual Help Association
Larry Williams (AR)	Ozark Small Farm Viability Project