Sustainability Committee

Dear AHPA members and friends in the herbal community,

I am reaching out today to let you know that all AHPA activities normally held as in-person meetings will instead be produced as virtual events, webinars or teleconferences for the balance of 2020.

The AHPA Foundation for Education and Research on Botanicals (AHPA ERB Foundation) is issuing a request for proposals to award grant funding to eligible applicants in order to enhance and promote knowledge and understanding of sustainable harvest of slippery elm (Ulmus rubra).  The grant supports research effects of varying rates of wild slippery elm bark harvest on tree population health and recovery across multiple harvest sites in order to inform sustainable harvest and management decisions for the species. The anticipated amount of funding available for a sustainable wild slippery elm bark harvest research project is up to $10,000 annually for up to 5 years.

The SHP Sustainability and Regenerative Practices Toolkit is a collection of practical resources and best practices, specific to the herb and botanical business sectors, that businesses of any size can utilize to become more socially and environmentally responsible. Ultimately, it provides an ethos of caring for the people and planet from where herbs originate.

Resources included on this page are intended to assist our members on their sustainability journey and inclusion does not represent verification or endorsement by AHPA. If you feel there are resources missing or if something is included here that does not meet high sustainability standards, please let contact AHPA.

U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced almost $600,000 in federal funding for a Virginia Tech project to expand the impact of the Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer Coalition (ABFFC) by increasing membership and improving opportunities and capabilities among forest farmers.

The AHPA Foundation for Education and Research on Botanicals (AHPA ERB Foundation) has committed to provide financial support for the American ginseng program to be presented as part of the 2020 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, an annual 10-day event that takes place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The Foundation is seeking matching funds from AHPA members to increase the Foundation’s support of this program.

The June AHPA Report includes recent AHPA presentations at NIH, USP, CFSAN, plus legal and regulatory updates, recent AHPA news and advocacy and much more.

The April-May AHPA Report includes strategies for TCM sustainability, legal and regulatory updates, recent AHPA news and advocacy and much more.

The AHPA Foundation for Education and Research on Botanicals (ERB Foundation) issued a request for proposals (RFP) to award grant funding to eligible applicants in order to enhance and promote knowledge and understanding of sustainable harvest of goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis).

AHPA's Tonnage Survey is "a vital index of native U.S. botanical consumption," according to the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) of the U.S. Department of the Interior. If your company is a primary raw material producer, your input is essential to helping defend ongoing sustainable harvest of North American herbs.