New Mexico Farmers Find Opportunities In Local Food Movement
An ancient irrigation system in northern New Mexico may help mitigate the effects of climate change. But the small farmers who run the system often struggle to get by.
On a beautiful spring day in the Embudo Valley of northern New Mexico, Estevan Arellano stands near the Embudo River, south of Taos. The river runs east from here then spills into the Rio Grande. Arellano points proudly to a handmade dam constructed of river rocks.
"This is the beginning of our acequia Junta y Cienega," he said.
The acequia is a hand-dug canal that diverts river water to small local farmers. Arellano is one of them. He's 66 years old with thick grey eyebrows and a matching mustache. His ties to this land go way back.
"The valley that we're in here, it's all part of a land grant given to the people in 1725 by the king of Spain," he said. "And it was given to three people, I'm a descendant of one of them."
Even before the Spanish erected churches here, they built acequias. Some had been dug before them, by Native Americans.
"So these are the first really public works that were made in this country, were the acequias," Arellano said.
Studies from New Mexico State University show these acequias are also good for the environment, particularly in times of prolonged drought. They help delay evaporation downstream by storing river water underground. But, Arellano said, other forces are undercutting the importance of acequias.
"Before people depended on acequia water for survival," Arellano said. "Now since they can buy everything at the stores they are not taking care of the acequias, so the acequias are falling into disrepair."
Arellano still lives on the homestead settled by his great-grandmother when this region was a part of Mexico. Like others here, he feels a deep connection to the land.
But today it's much tougher to make a living. Locals estimate a farmer’s annual income starts at $20,000. Their plots rarely exceed 10 acres and most farmers must get a second job in town. Others choose to sell their land, which can be very valuable.
“We do see lands getting converted to subdivisions and it's heartbreaking," said Paula Garcia, executive director of the New Mexico Acequia Association. “Our economy and our policies around agriculture tend to favor larger-scale production.”
But then there are the exceptions.
Matt Romero is a tall, dark-skinned farmer with a mass of uncombed black hair and a sweatshirt that reads “Grumpy”. He’s actually very nice. At his home near Dixon he shows off his backyard greenhouse and his impressive collection of chile peppers.
“Poinsettia, fushimi, Jimmy Nardellos, shishitos, olympus bell peppers, lipstick pimentos," he read out loud.
Romero is a fairly rare example of an acequia farmer who makes a living entirely off the land. He sells a variety of produce at farmer’s markets, to a couple food co-ops and seven restaurants in Santa Fe. He did it the old fashioned way.
“I started with the only money I had in the bank," Romero said. "Started very tiny. Made a little bit of money the first year. Made some more money the next year. Kept reinvesting."
Romero even hosts a summer internship program for young aspiring farmers which he promotes with a video on his website.
“This is the future for small farming in New Mexico and the United States is getting these youthful entrepreneurs who want to go into farming, give them the experience, and they’ll become our next generation of farmers," he says in the video.
Despite the challenges, the Acequia Association's Garcia said acequia farmers may endure by responding to a growing demand for local food.
“I am seeing a resurgence at our farmer's markets of people that are able to grow high value crops on less acreage using very water efficient technologies," she said.
Acequia associations are recognized under the recently passed Farm Bill and can now apply for federal grant money. Also this year, Garcia said the New Mexico state legislature more than doubled financial assistance to acequias allowing for much-needed repairs to move forward.
