New Mexico Healthy Soil Initiative

We are at a critical time for agriculture and the environment. The realities of extreme weather events, conflicts over water, the blight of rural communities, and diminishing natural resources are bearing down on all New Mexicans, with farmers and ranchers at the forefront of these serious problems. At the same time, awareness that soil stewardship can be part of the solution to the climate crisis has been rising and new approaches, mutually beneficial for agriculture and the environment, are gaining traction. Agriculturalists are looking for ways to improve their soil, but they require know-how, sustained technical assistance, help in over- coming institutional barriers, financial incentives, and risk mitigation.

NM Healthy Soil Act

The NM Healthy Soil Working Group formed in the fall of 2018, with the goal to significantly accelerate soil health stewardship in the state. Addressing the prime challenges of inadequate soil health education, lack of financial incentives and prevailing institutional barriers, we succeeded in passing the NM Healthy Soil Act in the spring of 2019. As authors of the bill, we brought together an extensive coalition of over 100 food and agriculture related organizations, as well as environmental groups and dozens of farms and ranches. With this supportive network, the bill had bipartisan support in the house, received unanimous backing in the senate, and was signed into law by the governor on April 2.

NM Healthy Soil Program

Based on five proven soil-health principles, the Healthy Soil Act establishes a voluntary incentives program and a robust support system. Land managers are offered access to soil health testing, education and training opportunities, as well as financial and technical assistance. Program participants learn about soil health in on-site, producer-led workshops and receive technical assistance to put these ideas into practice. A research component, soil health champions network and training for technical service providers round out the bill. Implementation on the ground is facilitated through Soil & Water Conservation Districts and other local entities, including pueblos, tribes, acequia and land grant communities.

Moving forward, our main focus is continuing to raise awareness of soil-health benefits and to serve New Mexico land managers, as they are key to creating greater soil health on our working lands. To that end, we are building the Soil Health Champions Network and collaborating with agricultural advocacy groups. We are committed to ensuring equity in all our work and honor the diversity of cultures in our state. The Healthy Soil Program explicitly enables pueblos and tribes, as well as acequias and land-grant communities, to access funding and prioritizes small farms and ranches, young farmers, veterans, and projects that benefit disadvantaged communities.