Feeding the Future
Grants Awarded
Feeding the Future's Soil to Plate: Outdoor Agriculture & Conservation Program aims to equip underserved youth from central New Mexico with outdoor learning experiences, practical skills, and a deep appreciation for local agriculture and natural resources. The initiative offers a variety of outdoor activities and hands-on conservation projects; a key feature is the establishment of 20 Youth Farm Enterprises, small student-run businesses aimed at fostering teamwork, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy, with part of the harvested produce distributed to families suffering from food insecurity. Supported by the Outdoor Equity Fund, about 160 youth annually will enhance their outdoor skills, leadership abilities, develop a profound understanding of conservation and agriculture, while establishing a lasting connection to the local land and outdoor opportunities.
Feeding the Future is a New Mexico-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2021 to strengthen local food systems, improve food security, and expand access to healthy, locally produced foods through education, agriculture, and community partnerships. Our mission is to connect New Mexicans—especially children, families, and underserved rural communities—to nutritious local food while promoting healthy lifestyles, environmental stewardship, and agricultural literacy. Through hands-on programs and partnerships with farmers, ranchers, schools, and community organizations, Feeding the Future connects youth and families to New Mexico’s agricultural heritage through outdoor learning, regenerative agriculture, and natural resource conservation. In the summer of 2026, Feeding the Future hosted a five-day Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program with Albuquerque’s Mark Armijo Academy Charter School at Buffalo Creek Ranch. Students experienced New Mexico’s “gate-to-plate” food system while developing practical skills in livestock care, grazing management, corral construction, teamwork, and land stewardship. Feeding the Future has also hosted Days at the Ranch for participants in the Quivira Coalition’s New Agrarian Young Apprenticeship Program and [Re]Generation Fellows Program, providing hands-on instruction in regenerative ranch management, soil health, water conservation, wildlife habitat, and sustainable agriculture. Governed by a volunteer board of directors, Feeding the Future is supported through grants, charitable donations, sponsorships, and community partnerships. We remain committed to expanding outdoor educational opportunities that inspire youth to connect with New Mexico’s lands, agriculture, and local food systems while building healthier communities.