De La Tierra a la Cosecha

Taos County Economic Development Corporation (TCEDC), Taos Land Trust (TLT), and the Taos Valley Acequia Association (TVAA) joined forces in a project entitled De la Tierra a la Cosecha. The primary purpose of this project is to assist farmers and ranchers in retaining and making a living on their land through expanded outreach and technical assistance provided by the combined resources of our three organizations. Increased and targeted collaborative outreach will more effectively reach a greater number of stakeholders and encourage innovative management and marketing solutions that will ultimately support long-term ownership and profitability of agricultural lands. Our collaboration is unique in that it utilizes the broad expertise of our three organizations, with a combined 50 years of experience working in northern New Mexico, to address all aspects and levels of local food production: land, water, and market-based economic development. TCEDC, TLT, and TVAA are already successfully addressing these issues in their respective ongoing work. This collaboration braids these interrelated strands together into a comprehensive and holistic approach that will have a greater and further reaching impact than the sum of it parts. It is a model of collaboration perfectly suited for our unique socio-cultural, economic, and environmental circumstances. As the agricultural sector encounters changing dynamics and new opportunities, De la Tierra a la Cosecha will expand opportunities for underserved farmers and ranchers of northern New Mexico by increasing communication avenues and targeting additional resources. Our aim is to encourage greater exchange of knowledge, experience, and resources among stakeholders to preserve our agricultural traditions and help farmers and ranchers stay on their ancestral lands and make a living.