Native Farmers in Residence Program

Native Farmers in Residence Program

Amount: $3,000 stipend per farmer over one-year tenure

Status: Active/Ongoing (inaugural program launched)

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

Funder: Native American Agriculture Fund (Fayetteville, Arkansas)

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