Conferences
Navajo Sustainable Agriculture Initiative
Michael Patrick
Summary
Navajo farmers and ranchers face many obstacles in their efforts to increase the economic success of their family operations. The general lack of knowledge and resources to improve their farming and ranching operations increases their production, marketing, and financial risks to the point many accept the status quo as the logical way to protect what they have. Farming and ranching are tenuous commercial propositions for nearly all Navajo producers, nevertheless they are an integral part of their identity and daily life.
The poster will highlight the collaborative work of New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service and Dine’ College Land Grant Office over the past several years, with grant support from the Western Risk Management Education Center, to enhance the sustainability and profitability of Navajo farming and ranching operations. Education, training, and mentoring efforts have included workshops, webinars, and technical assistance focused on mitigating producer production, marketing, and financial risk and assisting producers complete the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and USDA forms and applications to qualify for available USDA (FSA and NRCS) and Navajo Nation programs and resources needed to sustain and improve the profitability of farming and ranching operations.
Details
| Conference | 2024 Extension Risk Management Education National Conference |
| Presentation Type | Poster |