WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE? IS IT NEW MEXICO GROWN? – HELEN HENRY

At the federal levels we were deeply involved in the beginnings of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) “Double Up Food Bucks,” which became a grant program, the USDA’s Gus Nutrition Incentive Program, that N.M. now benefits from. The N.M. Farmers’ Marketing Association has applied and been awarded twice. Through this grant, millions of dollars of N.M.-grown food is purchased with SNAP, and N.M.’s farmers benefit directly through sales at grocery stores, farmers’ markets and roadside stands.

We did early research and outreach in N.M. to learn about the gaps people had in being able to access a full variety of foods in

rural and underserved communities where food retail was minimal or non-existent. This work led to the Policy Council participating in national discussions, research and policy recommendations that created the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) at the federal level that is available for N.M. Then, in 2021, we supported the work of La Semilla Food Center, which introduced cutting-edge legislation to create a state HFFI program that could draw on the federal investment to benefit a wide variety of food and farm programs, especially those led by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color).

There are countless policies and programs that the Policy Council has helped get off the ground and many it has supported over the years, including farm-to-school, farmers’ market promotion programs, beginning farmer and rancher programs, soil health and conservation programs, and more. They now provide millions of dollars to communities to support food and agriculture in N.M. and across the country.

I write this as a reflection, a commemoration and tribute to people who have had an idea, a vision, courage, and set many paths forward in the wake of a tragic event that shook the world to its core. Twenty years ago, the NMFAPC set a path to bring people of many walks of life together in N.M., bring ideas forward, deliberate, learn to trust, and build a united voice and further a collective path. There’s much to look forward to as we take on the next 20 years. Please join us. ¢

Above: Helga Garza with squash blossoms © Jaime Chávez N.M. Food & Agriculture Policy Council meeting, 2019. © Seth Roffman

Pam Roy is coordinator of the NM Food & Agriculture Policy Council and executive director of

Farm to Table. HTTPS://NMFAPC.COM, HTTPS:// WWW.FARMTOTABLENM.ORG

WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE? IS IT NEW MEXICO GROWN?

BY HELEN HENRY

In New Mexico, farming and ranching are the third-largest economic sector, and yet 97 percent of the food grown in the state leaves the state. There are a number of reasons for this—stable markets elsewhere, a lack of in-state processing facilities, and not enough infrastructure to support in-state purchasing. In some cases, food grown here is sent away to be processed and then brought back for retailers to sell.

At the same time, institutional settings such as schools and senior centers provide meals that are required to include fruits and vegetables. For close to two decades there has been a focus in New Mexico, as well as across the country, to integrate locally grown produce into meal programs. It has been no small task, as institutions do not routinely buy food produced locally, often because of complicated procurement processes or lack of access to local producers. Organizations like Farm to Table, the N.M. School Nutrition Association and many other partners have worked to overcome these challenges so that farmers and institutions can adapt to local options. These connections have become even more critical in the light of the pandemic, as many people in the state are facing food insecurity and lack access to nutritionally healthy food.

New Mexico produce © Seth Roffman