Food/Agriculture

By Dan Lorimier, Conservation coordinator, Southern and El Paso groups

After roughly two and a half years of effort, the Rio Grande Chapter has successfully helped protect New Mexico’s precious but highly threatened groundwater that 9 out of 10 of us rely on for drinking.

Over the past three years, our family has consumed 38% less water than the prior owners of our house. During this same time period, the neighbor’s water consumption has been 9 times our water consumption in a house of similar size. Learn what you can do.

December 15 – The New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC) today passed New Mexico’s first industry-specific regulations for the dairy industry. The new regulations will govern dairy waste pollution in ground water. The decision marks the end of a two-year process begun by the dairy industry itself, which asked for industry-specific regulations during the 2009 New Mexico legislative session.

“These regulations are way overdue”, said Jerry Nivens of Caballo Concerned Citizens. “This is a victory for clean water.”

The growth of global food markets, agricultural subsidies and megastore retail chains has transformed the food New Mexicans consume today, and stands in stark contrast to providing food just 60 years ago. Along the river valleys of New Mexico there has been continuous agriculture in small pueblos and villages thanks in part to ingenious water-giving acequias. The Anazazi ancestors of today’s Puebloan Native Americans settled near year-round rivers around 1400 and in the 17th century Hispanic settlements also became established.

June 9, 2010 – Santa Fe: New Mexico’s highest regulatory water quality authority, the Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC) is considering the State’s first industry specific groundwater discharge regulations as proposed by NMED, and the stronger regulations proposed by the Citizens Coalition of Caballo Concerned Citizens, the Rio Grande Chapter, Amigos Bravos and Food & Water Watch with the New Mexico Environmental Law Center’s legal support.

Sarah is a second grader in Las Cruces who is concerned enough about the effects that climate change will have on the planet that she is taking action to do something about it. Her principal agreed to let her regularly broadcast her “Green Tip of the Week” to the school about the problem and how kids can help. We think grownups can help, too, so we are pleased to introduce Sarah’s Green Tips here:

A sustainable food revolution needs to combine traditional local/regional self-reliance with new technologies and thinking. The main themes being: to expand regional sustainable production, integrate improvements in renewable energy technologies in food production and distribution, create regional/local distribution systems that increase access to markets for producers and access to products for consumers all the while reducing our carbon footprint. Another key concept in building the sustainability movement is to keep resources circulating in communities building vibrant local/regional economies for the food and financial security they provide.

Genetically modified organisms (GMO) are made by inserting genes from another species into an organism’s DNA. Genetic modification is very different from the traditional practice of selective breeding to improve the qualities of plants or animals.

During these food-intensive months of November and December, it's worth directing attention to the fascinating proposals included in the Local Food and Agriculture track of the new Climate Action Plan.