Center of Southwest Culture awarded a 2018 FMPP Grant
Posted On: September 26, 2018
Congratulations to New Mexico’s Center of Southwest Culture, a 2018 USDA FMPP recipient!
Recipient: Center of Southwest Culture, Albuquerque, NM
Project Type: Capacity Building
Rural NM Marketing Network
Land-based, centuries-old Indigenous and Hispanic communities in central and northern New Mexico need alternative economic initiatives to protect their land and water assets while increasing family revenues. The Center of Southwest Culture (CSC) will 1) analyze local and regional markets, identify potential direct farmer-to- consumer market opportunities (including institutional markets) and create marketing agreements for CSC’s farming co-op stakeholders; 2) outreach to and recruit new farmers in targeted, Indigenous and Hispanic communities; 3) determine a baseline of (dollar) sales from existing farmer cooperatives, document the number of markets (existing and new) in the network, and if possible, include sales from proposed new cooperatives; and 4) continue training in organic farming techniques, food safety, organic certification standards, and marketing strategies, not only to CSC’s existing co-op members, but also to those recruited as new farmers. CSC will seek direct-to-consumer markets and create purchase agreements for stakeholders’ produce. With assistance from existing CSC co-op members, CSC will outreach to new Indigenous and Hispanic people and recruit members for three new cooperatives, one at Isleta Pueblo, one at San Felipe Pueblo, and one at Jemez Pueblo. CSC staff will plan, schedule, and implement 40 “kitchen-table” educational and training workshops with existing and new cooperative members over the project year. CSC will also document the value of sales increases and/or changes in the number of markets/customers in the network over the life of the project.
