Chip Hope

Chip Hope serves as Farm Director for the Sustainable Development Teaching and Research Farm in Fleetwood, NC at Appalachian State University, teaching applied experiential courses including SD4200, SD3100, SD3125, SD4125, and SD3900 within the Sustainable Development Department.

His educational credentials include:

• MS from Clemson University (2001)
• BA from UNC Chapel Hill (1974)
• AAS from CPCC (1981)

Hope specializes in Sustainable Agriculture with focused expertise in organic farming systems, heirloom plant cultivation, and heritage livestock breeding. His work integrates hands-on farm education with community outreach, hosting Appalachian State classes, campus visitors, and local community groups at the Fleetwood research facility.

His publication record centers on sustainable food systems, exemplified by a 2003 study analyzing consumer preferences for IPM and organic produce that established early market research frameworks for sustainable agriculture.

Hope directs the SD Teaching and Research Farm as a living laboratory for sustainable agriculture education, operating from his family homestead in Collettsville, NC while previously managing WPCC's Sustainable Agriculture AAS program and Engineering Department.