About Farm To Table
Contents:
Mission
The mission of Farm to Table is to promote locally based agriculture through education, community outreach and networking. Farm to Table enhances marketing opportunities for farmers; encourages family farming, farmers’ markets and the preservation of agricultural traditions; influences public policy; and, furthers understanding of the links between farming, food, health and local economies.
Purpose
- Educate children and adults about the importance of consuming locally produced food and supporting local agriculture.
- Encourage consumers to use farmers’ markets and other direct marketing venues as a means to obtain nutritious, locally produced agricultural products.
- Encourage farmers to participate in farmers’ markets and other direct marketing venues to increase the viability of the region’s agriculture.
- Provide a forum to educate farmers about traditional and innovative agricultural methods.
- Build rural and urban community networks to collaborate and influence policy and public opinion.
- Partner with organizations and agencies to work on health, nutrition and food security issues to improve the health of people and communities in the Southwest.
- Work with a broad-based group of organizations and agencies on food and agriculture system issues to affect policy change through education and the development of policy initiatives.
Click here to go to the top of the page.
Farm to Table Staff
Le Adams is Co-Director of Farm to Table, Farm to School Program Director, and a SWMN Steering Committee member. Ms. Adams has many years of experience in small-scale farming, farmers’ market sales and management, agricultural education for children and youth, and community organizing including the organization of several other conferences including the NM Organic Farming Conference. Ms. Adams can be contacted at ladams@cybermesa.com
Pamela Roy is Co-Director of Farm to Table. Ms. Roy has close to 20 years of organizational development and farmers’ market experience and has worked internationally in lesser-developed countries in this work. She has 15 years of conference development experience at the local, regional, and national levels. She is a co-founder and steering committee member of the Southwest Marketing Network and works on many of the Network’s programs including Tribal farmers’ market development and initiated regional food policy through the and the Southwest Food and Agriculture Policy Outpost. She is the director of the New Mexico Food and Agriculture Policy Council that works on state and federal policy advocating for food system issues including health, nutrition, hunger, and family size farm and ranch policies and programs. She has served as a Board member and officer of the national Community Food Security Coalition for the past six years. Prior to that she served as president of the North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association. Ms. Roy can be contacted at Pamelaroy@aol.com
Tawnya Laveta - As a project associate, Tawnya develops direct marketing resources for agricultural producers in the four corner states. As a former teacher, she provides classroom and outreach presentations for farm-to-school programs in local schools. She connects farmers with special events, individuals, and restaurant customers. As an organizer for the New Mexico Tribal Extension Task Force, she assists Tribal communities with farmers’ market development in their respective communities. Through the New Mexico Food & Agriculture Policy Council, Tawnya works on local, state and federal policy issues designed to rebuild regional food systems that will equitably fulfill community needs. Tawnya can be contacted at tlaveta@yahoo.com
Ilana Blankman - Project Assistant
With a background in community and regional planning, Ilana has been working on local food issues and community economic development in New Mexico for three years. Ilana provides support to all of Farm to Table’s projects with a focus on food systems development, outreach, research and policy. Ilana can be contacted at pixii51@gmail.com
Click here to go to the top of the page.
Farm to Table Board of Directors
The work of Farm to Table is guided and supported by an expert, volunteer Board of Directors. Members are:
- Sarah Grant, Chair (New Mexico Farmers’ Market Association)
- Judy Herzl, Vice-Chair (Sunrise Springs Inn and Resort)
- Vince Noone, Treasurer
- Clark de Schwienitz, Legal Advisor
Click here to go to the top of the page.
Farm to Table Funders
Farm to Table’s work is made possible by its generous funders:
- McCune Charitable Foundation
- USDA Risk Management Agency
- USDA Farm Service Agency
- USDA Community Food Projects
- Lumpkin Family Foundation