Fall: Make a Difference

In every issue of edible, we strive to highlight individuals and groups who are civic minded; environmentally conscious; and active in local, national, or global food-related causes. For this issue, we center on those whose work has made a big impact on various scales, from a billionaire who wants to “save everything” to a small non-profit that wants to make sure their neighbors have access to a good meal. We discover how global conflicts have led to the establishment of roots in New Mexico soil and healing through community support.

Earlier this fall, as the wild sunflowers bloomed in their full glory, a team of neighbors and friends in northern New Mexico scrambled to fix a portion of an acequia that had been destroyed in a recent monsoon. The clock was ticking as clouds built in the Jemez mountains to the west and farmers upstream itched to turn back on the ditch. A tractor steadily roared and chainsaws buzzed all morning while we cleared a path for a new channel. Around 2pm, when we were exhausted and wondering if we could finish, another neighbor arrived, unannounced, with a spread of homemade sandwiches with homegrown tomatoes in the back of her pickup. We paused and ate; by sundown, the water flowed down its new channel without a hitch.

Food can bring us together and strengthen the bonds of community in simple but profound ways. Whether it is the small selfless act that almost always goes unrecorded, or the community-wide project that provides widespread inspiration, sometimes the deepest differences come through the simplest medium: a shared meal or a patch of garden space.

In every issue of edible, we strive to highlight individuals and groups who are civic minded; environmentally conscious; and active in local, national, or global food-related causes. For this issue, we center on those whose work has made a big impact on various scales, from a billionaire who wants to “save everything” to a small non-profit that wants to make sure their neighbors have access to a good meal. We discover how global conflicts have led to the establishment of roots in New Mexico soil and healing through community support.

At the end of each article you will find information about how you can get involved in the various organizations and causes we covered in the story. As Ralph Waldo Emerson eloquently said, “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” We encourage you to reach out to these organizations or to the many others doing important work in our community to see how you, too, can make a difference.