Robust local food systems will strengthen N.M.

The nine-month halt in life as we knew it continues to expose systems that aren’t working for people. We’ve discussed many of them — unequal access to health care, lack of affordable housing, uneven educational opportunity, spotty internet access. There are so many deficiencies, all undercutting the vision of the United States as the land of opportunity.

Add another to the list: the inability of all to have access to nutritious food.

Food, that basic necessity, is not equally available to all. Even when there is food on the shelves that people can afford, too much of it is packed with fat, calories or sugar and makes the people who eat it sick over the long term.

Local food producers understand support for agriculture close to home can change that equation. If governments and private investors put their dollars in shoring up systems that grow, provide and produce food right here in New Mexico, we can both decrease food insecurity and provide healthier options.

That would mean a healthier economy and healthier people — plus people who won’t have to worry about where their next meal can be found.

One of the more disturbing scenes during the COVID-19 pandemic — here in Santa Fe and around the country — are those days when hundreds of cars line up to receive food.

A recent distribution by The Food Depot at Santa Fe Place mall just before Thanksgiving saw cars ready at 7 a.m. The distribution lasted until 12:50 p.m., although it was slated to end at 11 a.m. that day. So much need.

That’s hardly new in New Mexico, a state routinely at the top of food insecurity lists, and where children in particular lack access to plenty of food. That’s why so many meals are offered at school, another victim of the pandemic being met with grab-and-go offerings at various sites.

But agriculture experts and producers who met recently to discuss reimagining the food economy believe there are ways to do better.

By strengthening the local food chain and supporting local farmers, we can avoid disruptions in the global supply chain. To be certain, it’s a multiyear effort, an outcome that will not happen without planning and investment. But it’s a wise move for a state that desperately needs to help residents grow healthier and to diversify its fossil fuel-based economy.

Federal dollars — New Mexico is eligible for some $2 million a year right now for such purposes — can be combined with state and local funds to establish grocery stores, farmers markets and other infrastructure. Traveling stores — able to visit rural areas — should be a priority. Thought should go into production facilities, too, places to process meat, grind flour and make other consumables.

The end result? Healthier food made more easily available to all.

It’s an economic plus, too, with this reality: If New Mexico can increase consumption of local agricultural products by 15 percent, it could raise its per capita gross domestic product by some $750 million annually.

Such diversification is possible as a matter of policy, too. Farm-to-school programs through the Public Education Department gave $450,000 in grants to 58 school districts. That’s a model to be expanded.

With the state exporting some 97 percent of food grown in New Mexico, while also importing 95 percent of food consumed, there should be room within those numbers so that we keep more food here and import less.

With improvements in controlled agriculture systems, not all the food has to be grown traditionally — in the ground and dependent on weather. Both rural or urban farmers can use greenhouses, controlling moisture, light and growing season, increasing yield without worrying about the uncertainties of the weather. Santa Fe Community College is a world leader in controlled agriculture. Investments in education and training will build infrastructure that results in more food produced right here in New Mexico.

The pandemic has exposed weaknesses in our country. Now we must begin to repair the obvious cracks in our systems and emerge stronger and healthier. In New Mexico, producing and consuming food locally is the right solution.