Dru Zucchino is the CEO of TRACTOR Food & Farms, a food systems nonprofit in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. His work focuses on building rural food systems that strengthen local agriculture while improving access to healthy food.
Under his leadership, TRACTOR operates a regional food hub, a local grocery store, farm equipment rental program, and farmer capacity-building initiatives, connecting a network of more than 250 small family farms with schools, healthcare providers, food assistance programs, and other community partners. For more than a decade, Dru has worked at the intersection of agriculture, food access, and community health. Drawing on experience in food service, farming, and food procurement, he advocates for Food is Medicine as an opportunity to strengthen both health and local agriculture systems. His work encourages healthcare organizations, policymakers, and food system leaders to view clinical nutrition interventions as part of a broader, community-based food system that supports long-term health, economic resilience, and farm viability.
Dru lives near Bakersville, North Carolina, where he and his family tend small orchards and other crops.
