Rebuilding an agricultural rural economy

NIFA awards grant to UNM-Taos new workforce, training program

Framed by a dearth of regional large-scale agriculture in Northern New Mexico, and supported by the Taos Valley’s foundation in the centuries-old practice of farming using acequias (manmade communal water courses diverted from natural tributaries), UNMTaos and UNM-Taos HIVE (Hub of Internet-Based Vocations and Education) are partnering with Not Forgotten Outreach (NFO) and the Taos County Economic Development Corporation (TCEDC) to create the RARE workforce training certificate program, which will support the local food and smallscale farming economy in Taos.

“The recent development of the HIVE program and its focus on economic development, as well as the economic focus of NIFA, seemed to provide a natural fit to include other topics of study into the program,” stated Louis Moya, J.D. UNM-Taos director of development. “And we refined the more general concept of including agricultural curriculum and are including economic/business skills in the program. It, then, was natural to consider the necessity of including cultural elements.”

The RARE program will train two separate cohorts of 15 student participants (30 total prospective farmers, ranchers and food producers, recruited from underserved and veteran populations) through an immersive curriculum of farming practices, safe and healthy food production, and the small business/entrepreneurial skills required to create and enhance local industry, and the next generation of small-scale sustainable farmers, ranchers and food producers in Northern New Mexico.

The part-time curriculum is 18 total credit-hours offered over 12 months (Spring, Summer and Fall semesters beginning July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2024) that provides industry-recognized stackable certifications; a focus in traditional, sustainable and droughtcondition farming methods; as well as entrepreneurial training from small business professionals and innovation experts at UNMTaos HIVE, and commercial and industrial food producers at the TCEDC’s commercial kitchen with opportunities for internship and apprenticeship at local farm sites or food-based businesses. Participants will receive a technical certification allowing for entry into a modern, rural agrarian economy through employment or entrepreneurship.

“Community colleges provide significant workforce development nationwide,” said NIFA director Dr. Carrie Castille. “These awards will help students earn a two-year degree or an industry-accepted credential that will create better job opportunities and fuel the talent pipeline needed in the food and agricultural sector.”

Other organizations involved in the project are Taos Land Trust, Alianza-Agricultura, Taos Valley Acequia Association, Taos Entrepreneurial Network and Taos Community Foundation. UNMTaos program co-coordinators are Moya, and Professional Skills and Community Engagement Dept. Chair Victoria Santistevan Gonzales.

“This program is a dream come true for me,” Santistevan Gonzales said. “As a product of a farming and ranching family, keeping our land-standing tradition of working our lands and self-sustainability is important, and we are responsible for passing this knowledge on.”

To learn more about NIFA’s impact on agricultural science (searchable by state or keyword), visit nifa.usda.gov/impacts. For more information about UNMTaos, visit taos.unm.edu.