Biocultural Legacies

Food is a critical part of community revitalization. Many NM communities want to recover the skills of self-reliance and the culture of mutual support that are central to an "informal economy." Revitalization can support healthy diets and reduce hunger. In the long arc of NM history, local and invading cultures swapped crops and livestock. Traditional meet supplies--elk,bison and deer--grew with the addition of Spanish criollo cattle, churro sheep, goats, and now Angus, Herefords, and Holsteins. Native Americans gathered mesquite beans, acorns, agave, wild greens and pinon nuts; added the Three Sisters (beans, corn and squash); then chiles, apples, wheat and other European crops.

Dreams: agro-ecoregional brands; "food events" that augment traditional ceremonies; seed banks and libraries to complement hand-me-down traditions; co-op building new markets for traditional, medicinal and staple crops; and inter-generational agricultural education. These dreams conflict with: water, land and seed losses; genetically engineered crops; urbanization; and food preferences based on cost, convenience and advertising.