2025 NMCEWL Annual Summit
April 3-4
Institute of American Indian Arts
83 Avan Nu Po Road
Santa Fe, NM 87508
ABOUT
Our annual summit offers a welcoming and creative space where we can put our words into action, and step into another year of adapting to a changing climate.
We are excited to bring focus to the importance of relationship- and tool-building for New Mexico producers. Topics such as best technical assistance practices, grant funding procurement, and the collaborations that support their strength, will be highlighted during presentations, peer-to-peer activities, and more.
The annual summit is a FREE in-person event for navigating challenges in our community, finding peer support, and building resilience in a challenging climate. We are offering producer travel stipends ($140) and producer hotel stipends ($150) to help offset costs. Please email coordinator@nmcewl.org to inquire.
This summit is in-part funded by a USDA Conservation Technical Assistance grant and the Tauck Family Foundation.
CONTACT
Email coordinator@nmcewl.org with any questions.
SCHEDULE
Day 1, April 3:
Programming will take place in the Hogan building. Attendees should park in the parking lots near Entrance #1. There is a small parking lot near the Hogan for attendees needing ADA accommodations. Click here for more information and a map of the IAIA campus.
9 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Arrivals, coffee and refreshments provided
9:30 - 10:00 a.m.
Welcome and introductions
10:05 - 11 a.m.
Storytelling and Leadership Advocacy for Young, Beginning, and Marginalized Farmers
Alicia Thompson – West Region Organizing Manager, National Young Farmers Coalition
Joseluis Ortiz y Muniz – ¡Sostenga! Center, NNMC
Join us to explore farmer advocacy through storytelling, empowering farmers into leadership roles, and ensuring equitable access to water, land, and other essential agricultural resources.
11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Conservation Planning on Navajo Nation
Yolanda Benally – producer and advocate, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union
12:05 - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch at Institute of American Indian Arts and Seed to Bloom audio project
Davon Collins – RAY Fellow, Institute of American Indian Arts Land Grant Program
1:35 - 2:30 p.m.
Adapting to Shifting Climates and Policy Change
Sarah Wentzel-Fisher – Land and Agriculture Policy Director, Thornburg Foundation
2:45 - 3:30 p.m.
Creative Communication: Pitching Project Ideas
Melanie Kirby – Institute of American Indian Arts Land Grant Program
As we navigate a precarious funding climate, gain techniques to set your grant proposal apart and for integrating creative objectives.
3:35 - 4 p.m.
Closing
Day 2, April 4:
9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Join NMCEWL and the NRCS Santa Fe team for a field day at a farm in Santa Fe County to hear about best practices for relationship building between producers and their technical assistance providers.
Khalsa Family Farms, 10 Narayan Ct, Española, NM 87532
Share a Seed New Mexico is coming to the
2025 NMCEWL Summit!
Share a Seed is a mutual aid seed sharing and food access program. Share a Seed re-distributes resources directly to community members, gardens, and small farms, providing both the tools and educational resources to get more folks growing.
Share your spares with the project:
- viable, well-labeled seeds (vegetables, flowers, fruits, etc…)
- how-to books related to gardening, farming, ranching, and/or food preservation
- gently used garden equipment (gloves, spades, sun hats, drip tape, etc…)
- bags of soil or compost
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