Since 2000, John Littles has been Executive Director of McIntosh SEED (Sustainable Environment and Economic Development), a grassroots organization that fosters quality education, housing, recreational facilities, business opportunities and environmental protection for McIntosh County, Georgia, through community development, organizing and advocacy.
Littles provides technical assistance to grassroots organizations in management, asset-based economic development, food systems, housing and land retention. He has established rural, urban and mobile farmers markets and created a network of rural farmers and cooperatives. Littles has conducted voter education and registration drives, and he co-manages a Ford Foundation project building agricultural value chains in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.
Littles has served on several boards, including the McIntosh County School Board, the Coastal Workforce Investment Board, Southern Partners Fund, PHASE, Inc., Department of Leisure Services of McIntosh County and GE Capital’s Rural Community Investment Fund. He also serves on the advisory council for Georgia’s Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism. A McIntosh County native, Littles studied at Savannah State College and Coastal Georgia Community College.
In this video, Littles describes McIntosh SEED's local food systems initiatives.