Women own or run thirty five percent of all small farms in the United States. According to the USDA, this number is projected to increase to sixty percent in the next twenty-five years. It makes sense:  As food supplies dwindle, as food increases in price as the food quality becomes questionable, women will grow food. The “ Green Revolution” to save the world from hunger by using expensive mechanical and chemical solutions requiring high quantities of inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, fuel and machinery to till, huge amounts of water and GMO seeds has failed. These practices have polluted the depleted water supply into the ocean, scarred the land and stressed the farmer to an early death leaving widows across our land.

The Carbon Economy Series wants to empower women and those who love them to successfully work with the land. This 2-day training will use regenerative agriculture principles so that fertility increases, nutritious food is produced, jobs and income revitalize families, food security and sovereignty is accomplished and systems are put in place for a more sustainable New Mexico. The workshop will be taught by a select group of women that bring their local expertise in holistic land management, planning, designing, farming, ranching, gardening, youth integral education, value added farming, grassland restoration, Northern New Mexico agricultural production, production cottage industry and much more.

Dr Ann Adams, a student of Allan Savory, teaches all over the world practices that restore vast grasslands—habitat to multitude of species—thus facilitating a tremendous amount of carbon sequestration helping stabilize climate change. She teaches individuals, families and businesses how to create holistic goals while designing food production systems that meet the triple bottom line: what is good for the planet, good for the people and good for profit. It is important to create a desirable lifestyle that provides good stewardship and uses sound ecological practices so that food is healthy and family farms continue to exist.

Patricia Pantano, a farmer/educator and co founder of Camino De Paz School and Farm will host us in Santa Cruz. We will travel to the site, be fed an organic meal and we will get to know the integrated farm more intimately. We will learn what it takes to sell at the Santa Fe Farmers Market and how to get young people involved. Her farm as a middle school engages and instructs youth in organic, agricultural food production, harvesting crops, creating products for sale and marketing to Santa Fe. The school provides knowledge, experiential learning and real life skill building that prepare youth for a successful and meaningful life.

Laurie Bowman and Nancy Ranney are the Director and President of the Southwest Grass-fed Livestock Alliance (SWGLA) representing producers, consumers, land managers, conservationists, and researchers. The organization seeks to improve human, ecological and animal health, and strengthen local agricultural communities by educating producers and the public about grass-fed livestock products. Their presentation will cover:

• The benefits of grass-fed to humans, animals and the planet
• Benefits (and challenges) of being a grass-fed producer
• Marketing and sale options (including types of certifications, livestock types and wholesale vs. direct markets)
• Production options
• Holistic planning and land management: principles and success stories
• Women involved in the grass-fed movement: more success stories
• Cooking tips and recipes (including possibly an overview of types of cuts, processing & slaughter, purchasing "on the hoof" etc.)

The Tesuque Pueblo has a long history of auto determination, self reliance, food production, hunting, art, farming and the offering to the divine for their blessings with traditional songs, dances and feasts. They have worked with seeds for millennia selecting, planting and blending characteristics that make crops hearty to withstand the extremes of this land of enchantment. Serena Hena, a gardener, a mother and a pueblo elder will host us in Tesuque for the afternoon. Sharing ancient knowledge, common practices and communal principles we will work side by side with Serena. A tasty, traditional meal will drive the points home as we are invited to see the patterns that shaped an entire civilization that has survived for thousands of years. In contrast to our present civilization which may perish in the next few hundred years particularly if we do not move swiftly. Sometimes to move forward we may have to look to the past and relearn what has been forgotten.

Women farmers, ranchers, gardeners and all those who love them will meet at the Santa Fe Community College to train with these marvelous speakers on April 12,13,14. Friday night form 7-9 pm, cost $10. Intensive workshop on Saturday or Sunday $175 per day or all three events for $300. Discounts, student/senior rates, interns, work trades, and time dollars are accepted. Join us and spread the word. For more information call (505) 819-3828 or go to our web site: www.carboneconomyseries.org