In an effort to increase the adoption of regenerative/conservation land management practices in New Mexico, HMI has been collaborating with over 40 organizations that support, educate or work with agricultural producers in New Mexico. This collaboration began with a New Mexico Working Lands Summit held in Albuquerque, New Mexico on April 18, 2018 with over 30 organizations attending. During that summit, this group looked at key challenges to and opportunities for enhancing working lands in New Mexico.
Summit objectives were to:
Lay the groundwork for establishing partnerships/collaborations that result in improved on the ground land management and thriving agricultural operations in New Mexico.
Develop working groups to define regional needs and initial solutions/action steps.
Create a network/alliance moving forward that remains engaged in these activities and outreach to those involved in working lands.
Over the last seven months these groups have been working on developing a website, calendar of events, and listserve to assist the development of communication and organization of this coalition. NM CEWL (New Mexico Coalition to Enhance Working Lands) is now a coalition of over 40 organizations working together to address the challenges facing those working to enhance the health and productivity of New Mexico working lands.
As stated on the new NM CEWL website, the purpose of NM CEWL is to support and enhance ongoing efforts to improve the health and productivity of New Mexico working lands that support agriculture and the environment. Our focus is to increase soil health, biodiversity, and hydrologic function wherever possible.
NM CEWL’s strategies are:
Acknowledge and highlight the ongoing and diverse efforts of agricultural producers, other land and natural resource managers, organizations, and agencies currently engaged in efforts to improve working lands in New Mexico
Through effective collaboration, increase the pace and scale at which land health improves in New Mexico.
Engage network participants by sharing and increasing access to knowledge and resources, for success on the ground and for New Mexico communities.
To increase all New Mexicans’ awareness of the value of enhancing working lands and help them understand how they can support agricultural producers and land managers who improve land health.
Expand collective knowledge about what builds resilience of New Mexico working lands through peer to peer knowledge transfer.
Participants at the summit or in working groups or listserve have represented organizations including: Agri-Cultura Network, Bernalillo County Open Space, Chispas Farms, Community Consensus Institute, CS Cattle Company, Cuidad Soil and Water Conservation District, Farm Credit of New Mexico, Farm to Table New Mexico, Holistic Management International, Institute for Applied Ecology, Institute for Sustainable Agricultural Research at NMSU, Lor Foundation, National Young Farmers Coalition, NM Association of Conservation Districts, NM Farmers Market Association, New Mexico First, NM Forest & Watershed Restoration Institute, NM Game and Fish, NM Land Conservancy, NM Natural Resources Conservation Service, Pueblo of Santa Ana Department of Natural Resources, Pueblo of Tesuque Farm, Ranney Ranch, Rio Grande Agricultural Land Trust, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Rough Stone Ranch,
, Southwest Grassfed Livestock Alliance, The Grants Collective, The Nature Conservancy-NM, The Quivira Coalition, Thornburg Foundation, UNM Department of Geography, UNM Sustainability Studies Program, US Forest Service-Southwestern Region, Vermejo Park Ranch, and Western Landowners Alliance. If you would like to be involved in this coalition, please contact us at: NMCEWL@gmail.com. Thanks to all our partners and our funder, The Thornburg Foundation, for their help and support of this work.