Industrial agriculture is a major contributor to climate change, accounting for up to a quarter of all GHG emissions worldwide. At the same time, farming communities are already feeling the effects of the climate crisis through increasing trends of drought, wildfire, soil and water depletion, and agricultural decline. In New Mexico, these interconnected problems are exacerbated by our state’s colonial history, systemic inequities and discrimination of traditional communities, and the rural-urban divide.
Soil health and regenerative agriculture offer promising solutions to climate change by lowering agricultural GHG emissions and drawing down atmospheric carbon. Important co-benefits include greater farm profitability and resilience, improved public health, revitalized rural communities, water security and reversal of ecological degradation.
Formed in the fall of 2018 to author New Mexico’s Healthy Soil Act, the Working Group succeeded in its passage by assembling an extensive alliance of grassroots advocates, food and agriculture organizations, farmers and ranchers, health practitioners and environmental groups. The act established one of the first state soil health incentive programs in the US, now run by the NM Department of Agriculture (NMDA).
Soil health is a unifying cause, but there can be real barriers to its implementation. The Working Group addresses these barriers by providing soil health education and critical resources for producers, engaging in collaborative demonstration projects, building the soil health movement in the greater society and advancing supporting policies.
Partnerships are a core tenet of our process and we’re building the soil health movement in the state by bringing people together for educational and social events. About half of our network consists of agricultural producers and the other half comprises educators, consumers, rural and urban residents, and members of Indigenous communities.
A grassroots nonprofit organization, NM Healthy Soil Working Group is fiscally sponsored by the Climate Change Leadership Institute (CCLI). For donations, please use the CCLI portal and add a note to make sure the donation goes to NM Healthy Soil. Thank you!
Core Team
Warren Edaakie is an Indigenous farmer, artist, conservationist and land steward focused on growing nutrient dense food, restoring ecosystem processes and building healthier communities. In his role as the Traditional Lands Program Coordinator, Warren utilizes his background and network of farmers, organizations, and agricultural experts to offer hands-on demonstrations of techniques and practices to promote building more fertile and resilient soils.
Navona Gallegos is a soil ecologist and permaculture designer, focused on the beneficial relationships between both soil and human communities. At the NM Healthy Soil Working Group, she works to provide soil health education through teaching, networking, and communications.
Robb Hirsch acts as lead legislative liaison and facilitates the bridge loan program for awardees of the New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s Healthy Soil Program. Robb recognizes that the health of food, the health of our families and the health of the planet are all directly connected to the health of the soil.
Isabelle Jenniches: As a community organizer, Isabelle’s main focus is in policy, movement building and farmer-to-farmer education. Drawing from an extensive background in the arts, she now applies her skills to storytelling, communications and outreach as well as program development and coordination.
Sarah Mock is an independent food and agriculture writer and researcher, and has spent more than a decade at the intersection of farm economics, sustainability, and social impact. Across the country and around the globe, Sarah has worked with nonprofits and foundations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Silicon Valley companies, the national news media, and directly with farms. At NM Healthy Soil Working Group, Sarah supports policy efforts, communication, and storytelling.