NEW MEXICO ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

Food, Hunger, and Agriculture Program

Contact Info:

  • Erin Ortigoza, Food, Hunger, & Agriculture Program Manager, 505-819-8914.
  • Jayme Chester, Food Value Chain Coordination Rep, 505-695-8440
Bidii Baby Foods, LLC
Bidii Baby Foods, LLC
Nelson Family Farms - produce processing and storage facility
Ledoux Grange LLC
The Kitchen Table, Santa Fe - Freeze Drying
The Kitchen Table, Santa Fe - Freeze Drying

Opening Soon!

Healthy Food Financing Fund

Applications open from Wednesday, October 16 at 9 am through Wednesday, November 13 at 11:59 pm. FY25 informational webinar: Tuesday, October 22 at 11 am.

Food, Hunger, and Agriculture Program

Program Overview

The mission of the Food, Hunger, and Agricultural Program is to support the intersection of economic development in New Mexico’s food and agricultural sector with increased food security for New Mexicans.

The Food, Hunger, and Agriculture Program is part of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s Food Initiative and prioritizes:

  • Developing financial tools and technical assistance tailored for small and mid-scale food processing and agricultural enterprises
  • Increasing access to food for historically under-resourced communities
  • Addressing workforce development challenges through the creation and retention of jobs in the food and agricultural supply chain.
  • Strengthening and diversifying in-state market channel access for small and mid-scale food and agricultural operations
  • Advancing food safe storage/aggregation, distribution and transportation in regional food supply chain networks
  • Supporting producers in the implementation of regenerative agricultural practices

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EDD’s State Plan identifies sustainable and value-added agriculture as one of 9 target industries for economic development to build a diverse and robust economy that engages local talent, cultivates innovation, and delivers prosperity for all New Mexicans.

The following excerpts from the State Plan speak to the need for technical assistance and financial tools tailored to small-midscale food processing and agricultural operations.

Learn more about sustainable and value-added agriculture in the state plan.

“Agriculture, particularly of the sustainable variety, is a capital-intensive industry with significant up-front costs associated with investments in land and industrial infrastructure, such as heavy machinery. The ability for agricultural firms to easily access capital is a necessity for the establishment of a technology-enabled and sustainable agriculture industry…

…Stakeholders have indicated that New Mexico’s agriculture industry remains well-positioned to expand into the future. However, this expansion will require the state and stakeholders to capitalize on a number of opportunities arising in the near- and mid-term; many of these opportunities will require investments in financing mechanisms, education and training programs, and industry-relevant infrastructure development…

..Increasing food processing capacity in New Mexico will require additional and more stable funding mechanisms for producers in the state…the establishment of a revolving loan fund or non-traditional lending program for New Mexico’s agriculture industry could help the state expand food processing operations in rural and urban regions of the state.”