New Mexico Acequia Association

New Mexico Acequia Association (NMAA), doing business as Nmaa, is a minority-owned, Hispanic American-owned non-profit organization registered to receive federal government awards since November 2009. NMAA specializes in water resource management, agricultural education, and community development projects focused on acequia systems in New Mexico. Acequias are traditional irrigation systems that have been used in New Mexico for centuries, playing a crucial role in water distribution and local food production. Through federal grant awards, NMAA provides services related to water management, drought mitigation, and agricultural education, particularly benefiting Hispanic farmers and ranchers in acequia communities.

NMAA has received significant federal grant awards to support its mission. In January 2024, the Bureau of Reclamation awarded NMAA a $2,795,519 grant under the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief program to develop water budget modeling tools and online decision support systems for the Northern Rio Grande and San Juan Basins. This project aims to create flexible water sharing strategies and drought resilience plans. In September 2023, NMAA received a $537,504 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Advocacy and Outreach under the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers program. This grant supports farmer-to-farmer training, workshops, and mentorships on traditional, indigenous, regenerative, and climate-resilient agricultural practices for Hispanic farmers and ranchers. Additionally, NMAA was awarded a previous USDA grant in September 2020 for a similar education initiative focused on acequias as water-sharing and local food production systems. These grants demonstrate NMAA's ongoing commitment to strengthening agriculture in acequia communities and developing sustainable water management practices in New Mexico.