Rooted in wisdom: improving NM health by increasing access to locally grown fruits and vegetables will address the high level of food insecurity and high rates of diet-related disease in new mexico…

The New Mexico Farmers' Marketing Association received a $482,868 Project Grant award from the Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition under the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (CFDA 10.331) to implement "Rooted in Wisdom," a produce prescription initiative operating from September 2025 through September 2028. The project delivers bags of locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables to 160 low-income participants over a 12-week period through partnerships with six healthcare providers serving rural, urban, and tribal areas across New Mexico. Participating healthcare centers screen and enroll individuals from low-income households with diet-related health conditions or at-risk populations, with participant identification and clinical support provided by partner healthcare organizations.

In addition to produce delivery, the project provides comprehensive nutrition education services including recipe guidance, on-farm tours, home gardening instruction, cooking demonstrations, and enrollment in GoodFoodNM healthy eating text messages. The initiative supports local agricultural economies by sourcing produce directly from local growers and incorporates a photovoice evaluation component enabling participants to contribute to project assessment and inform ongoing program improvement. The project aims to achieve three primary outcomes: improved dietary health through increased fruit and vegetable consumption, reduction of individual and household food insecurity, and decreased healthcare utilization and associated costs for participating populations.

Rooted in wisdom: improving NM health by increasing access to locally grown fruits and vegetables will address the high level of food insecurity and high rates of diet-related disease in new mexico communities by partnering with six healthcare providers in rural, urban, and tribal areas. The project goals of rooted in wisdom are: 1) the improvement of dietary health though increased consumption of fruits and vegetables; 2) the reduction of individual and household food insecurity; and 3) the reduction in healthcare use and associated costs for 160 freshrx participants from partner healthcare centers. Participants will be screened and identified by clinic healthcare partners and will be drawn from low-income households that suffer from, or are at risk of, developing a diet-related health condition. They will be provided with bags of new mexico grown fresh fruits and vegetables for 12 weeks. The project will partner with local growers to provide these produce bags, thus supporting the growth of local agricultural economies. The project will also provide nutrition education that includes recipes, on-farm tours, guidance on establishing home gardens, cooking demonstrations, and the opportunity to sign up for goodfoodnm healthy eating text messages. Additionally, a photovoice evaluation project will provide participants with an opportunity to inform the work.