Native Farmers in Residence Program

Geographic Scope: New Mexico (central/northern region)

Focus Areas: Native American agricultural development, farm business training, knowledge transfer, food sovereignty

Eligibility: Native American farmers in New Mexico

Program Details:

• Cohort size: 10 Native American farmers
• Duration: One year
• Participants range from micro farmers to farmers managing 40-60 acres

Components:

• Quarterly meetings with cohort
• Training and resource sharing
• $3,000 stipend distributed over the year (some upfront)
• Training curriculum includes: budgeting, recordkeeping, accounting, finding new markets, building business plans
• Emphasis on digital tools (Google Earth for farm planning, digital ledgers and calendars)
• Farmers expected to share farming techniques with cohort
• Each participant expected to train at least one additional person (who also receives stipend)

Goals: Build farm business capacity, improve profitability, promote sustainable farming, increase food sovereignty in Native communities

Program Director: Henry Jake Foreman, NMCC Program Director

Key Feature: Knowledge sharing within cohort emphasizes traditional Indigenous economies based on nutrient exchange and collaboration