Farm Bill Forum Videos (Part 1)

On October 15, the day before World Food Day, four organizations (the Interfaith Hunger Coalition, Bread for the World, New Mexico El Paso Interfaith Power & Light, and Save the Children Action Network-New Mexico) brought together a handful of diverse organizations in New Mexico to discuss their vision for the 2023 Farm Bill (which Congress is scheduled to consider next year).  We are publishing videos of their presenations in two parts. Here is Part 1. 

 
Moderator Pam Roy Offers Opening Reflections

 
 

(Video 3:52)

Pam Roy, coordinator of the NM Food and Agriculture Policy Council, moderated our panel  She outlined some of the goals that the NMFAPC has proposed for the 2023 Farm Bill, including the need for equity in all policies. 

 "Not all programs are accessible to farmers and ranchers. So how can we change this Farm Bill to ensure they are accessible?... We must meet climate change and climate crisis head on. This is a huge issue...Ending hunger in our communities, of course, is a huge issue in New Mexico....We must ensure dignity and safety for workers. Who is out there with our farmers and ranchers to ensure that food ends up on our tables..."

The Indigenous Farm Hub: Clarence Hogue and Alan Brauer

 

(Video 17:26)

Clarence Hogue stressed the cultural and historical importance of local food production. "For me growing up, a lot of our community people were farming. They were growing food and feeding their families. Since then, a lot of the people who were the farmers--our parents--are now elders, and a lot of them have passed on.  And so a lot of these farms are sitting idle.  A lot of the statistics that I have heard that there's an 8,000 acre of farms, and only 15 percent are being used right now. There is a lot of land that could be used to fill our our farm operations again  , but we need people to do it.  How do we get our younger generations to get back to this type of work and occupation. This is part of building our food systems for our communities at the grassroots level.   

Alan Brauer underscored the importance of programs that are possible because of past farm bills. He pointed out an issue here in New Mexico is that organizations, sovereign tribes, munincipalities very rarely apply for these opportunities and connect and build coalitions. The leadership at Indigenous Farm Hub "usually says yes" to applying for different programs. 

"We know that it's something that could really bear so much fruit for our young people and for our experienced farmers and to really create a more just and Equitable food system across our our state, profoundly within tribal communities...Throughout the last two years, we have been very lucky to be part of a couple of different programs within the Farm Bill. We were one of three recipients across the entire state of New Mexico in 2021 that received a grant through Farm to School.  We work with two specific schools: Native American Community Academy and Albuquerque Sign Language Academy, but we also have four other schools: Santo Domingo Elementary School, Cochiti Elementary School, RFK Charter School and Ace Leadership Charter School." 

NM El Paso Interfaith Power & Light: Terry Sloan

(Video 13:06)

Terry Sloan spoke of the spiritual nature of food and the need for access to nutrittious sustenance, which is a human right spelled out in the 1996 World Food Summit. "What can we add to the new Farm Bill, and these are just my thoughts? We can incorporate the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act, and we can address food insecurity, we can add a holistic approach--equitable access to food and agriculture." 

"We can eliminate chemicals--insecticides, pesticides and herbicides. We need to develop systems and programs that address food waste....We can look at sustainable methodologies of farming and agriculture...including water conservation methods...We need to consider an research responses to severe weather changes like drought, which have here in New Mexico."

Sloan suggested that we consider indigenous ways of farming and how tribal communities sustain their way of life in agriculture. "They have been practicing sustainable development for thousands of years," he said.