- Details
- By Zuni Youth Enrichment Project
ZUNI, N.M. — Earlier this month, the Zuni Youth Enrichment Project participated in the 10th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to strengthen partnerships and advance its work in Native food sovereignty. The national gathering on Dec. 1-4 brought together organizations focused on local food systems, youth wellness and community-based nutrition.
Convened by the National Farm to School Network and supported by partners including the New Mexico Department of Health and Newman’s Own Foundation, the conference also provided an opportunity for ZYEP to connect with peer organizations and lay the groundwork for expanded collaborative programming in 2026.
“The conference reinforced the idea that access to nutritious, locally sourced food is critical for the health and future of our communities,” said Tahlia Natachu-Eriacho, ZYEP’s executive director. “When families must rely on processed or convenience foods because healthier options aren’t available or affordable, it has real consequences—especially for children. Nourishing children with good, natural food when they’re young helps shape their healthy development.”
Throughout the conference, attendees explored strategies to improve food security and sustainability in their home communities. They also shared program details and insights to learn from one another.
Newman’s Own Foundation supported Natachu-Eriacho’s attendance and convened grantee partners at the Farm to Table Conference. The shared connection created natural spaces for ZYEP to strengthen its long-standing partnership with Newman’s Own Foundation and fellow grantee partners working on Farm to School and Indigenous Food Justice.
“Newman’s Own Foundation has walked alongside us since 2016, and in 2020, they stepped up when we had to quickly find innovative ways to work with families when the pandemic hit,” she said. “They have made a strong commitment to supporting Indigenous communities, which makes them really stand out as a funder.”
Five years ago, Newman’s Own Foundation supported the ZYEP food sovereignty team’s first garden kits distribution, which gave Zuni families access to the resources and guidance they needed to start their own gardens at home. In the years that followed, this initiative expanded to include rain-harvesting barrels, garden workshops, seed-saving education, Family Cook Nights, and so much more.
“You can really see the impact in Zuni, all these years later,” Natachu-Eriacho said. “When you drive around town, you notice that many families have gardens now, and you can still spot some of the kit items they received years ago. The food sovereignty initiative is empowering people, and it’s creating generational change.”
The ZYEP food sovereignty team will maintain its robust youth programming in 2026, with team members actively engaging with children through Summer Camp and Rooted in Healthy Traditions. Their summertime work with families, however, will continue to evolve.
Natachu-Eriacho said the team plans to mentor a small cohort of families throughout the upcoming growing season, providing the infrastructure they need as well as information about the traditional protocols and practices that used to be commonplace in Zuni Pueblo.
“We have so many people on our agriculture committee and on staff who are craving opportunities to share what they know,” she explained. “In a way, this will be the same approach we’ve taken with our arts programming, offering an Advanced Artist Apprenticeship. Now we’ll have an intensive food sovereignty mentorship too.”
The youth project also plans to partner with Zuni Pueblo Head Start and the Zuni Senior Center in 2026, bringing food sovereignty programming directly to their facilities.
“It’s all about deepening relationships,” Natachu-Eriacho said. “We are so grateful to Newman’s Own Foundation for continuing to support us as we look toward our future and imagine what is possible for our community.”
She also acknowledged the partners who made the conference possible.
“We’re grateful to the National Farm to School Network for bringing us all together in such a collaborative environment, and to our friends and partners at the New Mexico Department of Health for playing such an important role,” she said. “And for hosting the Golden Chile Awards, which highlighted all the incredible work organizations are doing right here in New Mexico!”
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