Local food and water chain matters more than ever

This year, we have been in an unrecognizable world compared to the lifestyle we have become accustomed to. We have gone through many stages of the human experience, including panic, disbelief, resistance and acceptance to the situation we are in.

As a farmer, and current chairman of the New Mexico Acequia Commission, I am seeing a trend that should be celebrated. We have seen our food chain shrink, our local farmers and ranchers collaborate, and our neighbors and communities coming closer together. All of this couldn’t be done without the generous work and funding coming from organizations like the New Mexico Farmers Market Association and their COVID-19 Local Food Supply Chain Response Fund, which has raised over $400,000 that has been distributed to farmers, ranchers and producers across the state.

Funds and organizations like the Farmers Market Association, New Mexico Acequia Association and, most importantly, community centers that are providing weekly food baskets to citizens in need, have proven that when we as New Mexicans are hurting, our farmers, ranchers and natural resources are fundamental to us.

All of this couldn’t have been done without the charitable and philanthropic generosity of funders and farmers alike. Though the support is greatly appreciated, the stability and dependence on this type of system is unsustainable.

This pandemic has put a microscope on the truth that we as living beings have always known: We need food and we need water to survive; without those key aspects, we are in trouble. Now more than ever, we are seeing the importance of food coming from local farms.

The shorter the food chain, the fewer people handling our food, and a decreased chance of infection. Short food supply chains also allow for money in our small communities to stay in our communities and help stimulate our economies. Without the protection of our water and our ability to grow food locally, we as a state would have to rely more heavily on imported food. Though we are more than capable of being a self-reliant food state. To that end, there are many issues that will need to be addressed in our local, state and federal government.

One policy that should be more widely adopted is a statewide farmto-school program. It would not only benefit our farmers but benefit our children’s health and connection to the land. In addition, we need to have our leaders take a stand on addressing the hunger issues that face our country and our state.

Farmers, ranchers and food producers are here to help take a stand against hunger, but we do need a partnership with our elected leaders to protect our waters. Our water should not be leveraged for short-term economic blimps, but rather invested into long-term food

sustainability. We must stand and fight to make sure our water stays connected to our lands, and develop legislation that makes water extraction and selloffs more difficult.

It is our responsibility to not only hold our elected officials accountable, but to hold our neighbors and community members accountable.

This pandemic has brought out the basic truths that water and food are the most essential aspects of our day-to-day lives. New Mexico’s community of farmers, ranchers and food producers have done an amazing job of connecting via Zoom and phone calls in order to survive and help the most vulnerable in this state be fed.

Now we must continue this fight and continue to collaborate to protect our water, our lands, our food and our future as New Mexicans.