Southwest Basin Roundtable of the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s Conserving Irrigated Agricultural Lands grant project and Rocky Mountain Farmers’ Union held the Southwest Food and Farmland Forum on November 12 in Cortez, Colorado.
Jane Ellen Hamilton, a land trust attorney heading the Conserving Irrigated Agricultural Lands grant project is at the podium. |
Some sixty food producers, buyers, conservation groups and community leaders from the state’s southwest watershed basins strategized on how to secure the region’s food and farmland future. The challenges of keeping agriculture alive, an issue that is plaguing the country, were discussed in the morning’s general session. Participants then divided into groups and came up with action plans under four topics.
Conserving Irrigated Agricultural Lands:
 Colorado loses 30,000 acres of private agricultural lands every year and along with it, water rights. Between 2000 and 2005 alone, we lost 400,000 acres of irrigated croplands. To keep agricultural lands available for farmers and ranchers instead of being subdivided and developed, this group came up with two possible solutions.
First is to start a LandLink program whereby young farmers are matched with retiring farmers or landowners with available land to lease or sell. This program has already started in the Montrose region. Second is to start a community land trust (different from a conservation land trust) whereby a nonprofit organization acquires agricultural land, sells the improvements, such as buildings and orchards, to a qualified farmer who receives a long-term lease on the land.
Supporting Beginning and Small & Mid-size Farmers:
To support beginning and small to mid-size farmers, several organizations are providing necessary educational programs. Farmers need to be made aware of these programs for them. CSU Extension Services have been offering mentorship and internship programs and classes through grants from the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. Fort Lewis College and other organizations offer classes, workshops and hands-on education on business management, production and marketing.
Wholesale and Direct Marketing for Local Foods:
Farming and ranching are not viable unless their products can be sold for a profit. What is needed to that end is a strategic plan to develop a well-coordinated distribution system made up of smaller networks that can grow as the system grows. In addition, a comprehensive strategic plan should be created for a regional food system.
Already, local foods are sold directly to schools, restaurants and grocers.
Food Access & Nutrition Issues and Community Education:
Lastly, consumers need to know that local foods are available, nutritious and safe. So that consumers can recognize them, branding and labeling should be developed. As a publicity campaign, to get people to think about where their food is coming from, The Big Ask bumper stickers will be distributed.
People do not know how to incorporate fresh local foods into their diet because they don’t know how to cook from scratch. By working with CSU Extension Services and other organizations, classes can be organized to offer cooking and nutrition classes. |