Community Approaches to Sustainable Infrastructure Placement for Small-Scale Wool Producers in North Carolina

Abstract

Over the last few decades, there has been a national loss of small-scale and family-owned fiber processing infrastructure. The remaining mills are costly to run, and often have turnaround times of up to 2 years. This lag has produced significant challenges for fiber producers across the country, including North Carolina as they are relying on this infrastructure to run businesses or break even as sheep owners. I worked with the Piedmont Fibershed, a local non-profit in North Carolina who is working towards building a local fiber and textile economy. Utilizing a community-engaged research approach and drawing on field visits, interviews, and surveys with members of the fiber community, this research focuses on examining who is participating in fiber culture, where they are located, and the social and physical infrastructure networks that weave the fiber community of North Carolina. Research findings provide infrastructure and engagement recommendations to my community partners, based on their producer needs.