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Agriculture as Economic Development (Bernalillo County)

Plan Goal

To work with producers, planners and public officials in Bernalillo County to develop and demonstrate mechanisms and strategies for enhancing the viability and competitiveness of agriculture as a viable economic alternative.

Situation Statement

Bernalillo County has approximately 7000 acres of irrigated land. This land is being converted to non-agricultural uses at very high rate. This phenomenon is exacerbated by the common perception that agricultural uses cannot compete with housing and other development alternatives. While this may be true for traditional uses such as alfalfa, urban markets for fresh, locally grown produce (including organically produced) and other specialty crops is changing this picture.

Target Audience and Actions

Producers:
(1) Work with the best and most innovative producers to identify "best practices" and opportunities to create more value-added agricultural products oriented to local urban consumers.
(2) Develop mechanisms to disseminate information on "best practices" and to promote the idea that agriculture can be a viable option to non-agricultural development.

Planning specialists and elected officials:
(1) Continue to act as a resource of unbiased, factual information for use by decision-makers in developing land-use policy.
(2) Continue to participate in relevant land-use policy groups and meetings.

Short-Term Objectives

Continue current work with producers, community members, and public officials in the Albuquerque metropolitan region to develop public and private sector support for agriculture, which includes:
(1)Development of a high-valued, urban market-oriented production system.
(2) Increase the awareness of decision-makers and other community members of the importance of agriculture to the urban landscape and local food supply.
(3) Participate in the development of a comprehensive plan for NMSU's involvement in agriculture sustainability in the Middle Rio Grande Region

Medium-Term Objectives

Work with producers, community members, planners, and elected officials to institutionalize an urban development strategy for highly competitive agriculture to exist side by side with conventional development. In the process of this activity, create a model for urban development that:
(1) Enhances awareness of agriculture's role in society by exposing agriculture to school children through systemic programming with the schools.
(2) Enhances food security by creating awareness of our dependence on imported (anything that travels more than 200 miles) food and reducing to some degree that dependence.
(3) Enhances quality of life in the metro regions by establishing or reestablishing a positive, high profile presence for agriculture and the environmental amenities that it brings with it.

Long-Term Objectives

(1) Slow the conversion of agricultural lands to nonagricultural uses.
(2) Increase the availability of locally produced food to the residents of Bernalillo County.

Evaluation Plan

Success of this work will be indicated by:
(1) Number of new farmers producing locally consumed products.
(2) Number of new marketing outlets for locally produced products.
(3) Slowing of the conversion of agricultural lands to non-agricultural uses as indicated by the 2007 and 2012 Census of Agriculture.