To strengthen agriculture in acequia communities for revitalizing acequias as systems for water sharing and local food production by providing assistance to hispanic farmers and ranchers in farmer…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded a $537,504 Project Grant to the New Mexico Acequia Association (NMAA), a minority-owned, Hispanic American-owned, non-profit organization, under the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers (CFDA 10.443) program. The grant aims to strengthen agriculture in acequia communities in New Mexico by providing farmer-to-farmer training, workshops, and mentorships on traditional, indigenous, regenerative, and climate-resilient agricultural practices to Hispanic farmers and ranchers. This project builds on NMAA's previous $400K USDA grant in 2020 for a similar education initiative focused on acequias as water-sharing and local food production systems. NMAA has also received other substantial federal grants, including a $2.8M Bureau of Reclamation award in 2024 to develop water budget modeling tools and online decision support systems for flexible water sharing strategies in Northern Rio Grande and San Juan Basins.

To strengthen agriculture in acequia communities for revitalizing acequias as systems for water sharing and local food production by providing assistance to hispanic farmers and ranchers in farmer to farmer training, workshops, and mentorships on traditional practices, indigenous and regenerative practices and climate resiliency.