Two years after the Colorado Farm & Food Alliance (COFFA) sounded the alarm with its "Gunnison Basin: Ground Zero in the Climate Emergency" report, the urgency for climate action has only intensified. 

But it's not only bad news. Across the Gunnison Basin, as in many rural places across the southwest, innovative solutions are taking root, offering a roadmap for other communities facing similar challenges.

Winter stirs a quiet inspiration that is kindled by the fireside through stories of what has been and all that can be. As the butterfly garden slumbers, the Colorado Farm and Food Alliance team dreamed up a fire pit for winter gatherings and a warm, cozy space to share stories of our agricultural roots and envision what we can grow. With the help of the Arbol Farm crew, we have installed a southwest-inspired sunken firepit where community members can gather to share stories and inspiration.

In 2025, we expect ongoing attempts to rollback current environmental and conservation policy – based on stated intent from the new administration and Congress, along with early action and leadership changes in agencies and on committees – with a hard shift away from natural resource protection, environmental justice, and climate action. 

The CO Farm & Food Alliance is troubled by this change in federal direction. We will work with partners to defend the progress made and seek opportunities to continue that progress.

Agriculture, food systems and the U.S. Southwest are all on the front line of coming climate and ecological disruptions.

But the impacts of global warming are not the only changes coming our way. Political changes in Washington DC may also impact western Colorado in significant ways. 

Issues that the incoming administration and the new 119th Congress will be addressing include the Farm Bill, funding to mitigate and prepare for climate change, Colorado public lands and how the Colorado River and western water supplies are managed.  With your support we are ready.

Climate change is reshaping agriculture and food systems around the world, presenting both challenges and opportunities. That includes here in western Colorado. 

Impacts we are already experiencing range from extreme weather events and water scarcity to growing seasons and crop productivity changes. And agriculture, together with related land-use, is a major contributor to the drivers of climate change. 

However, agriculture also holds the potential to adapt to these changes and as a solution to the climate crisis. Here's a look into the intersection of climate change and agriculture, incorporating insights from the Gunnison Basin.

Home to our Just Good Food programming, the Mariposa Ascendente Regenerative Gardens and Classroom has already grown into a gathering place for workshops and celebrations for gardeners, regenerative agriculture enthusiasts, natural builders, farmers and farm lovers throughout the region. Now through December 15, we are participating in the Seed Money campaign.

The water year, spanning from October 2023 to September 2024, plays a crucial role in understanding Western Colorado's water dynamics. This article delves into the observations from this water year and what they mean for the future of water in Western Colorado.

This Fall we partnered up with The Learning Council and Western Slope Conservation Center to bring regeneration to life on local North Fork Valley farms and at our regenerative gardens and classroom, Mariposa Ascendente.

Colorado Farm & Food Alliance is super excited to be partnering with Mountain Roots Healthy Futures and AmeriCorps to host Sarsa Buck here in the North Fork Valley. Sarsa is helping Colorado Farm & Food Alliance learn from the amazing agricultural producers in our community about their practices, successes, challenges and stories. This is so the Colorado Farm and Food Alliance, and others, can better support regenerative agriculture in the region and our farmers and ranchers doing this work.

Colorado Farm and Food Alliance is working to develop and build our Rural Resilience and Regeneration programming to assist small farm and food businesses in locating the resources, connections, and skills they need to help them succeed and to support rural communities that are prosperous, equitable, and climate-resilient.

Our much anticipated Regenerative Agriculture Farm Dinner with the Forage Sisters returns on October 23, at the Midway Schoolhouse, outside Hotchkiss. Held at the peak of harvest season, and when the Valley will be ablaze in autumnal colors, this ticketed event will sell out in advance. So right now is a good time to purchase your tickets here.

The butterfly is emerging at Mariposa Ascendente, Colorado Farm and Food Alliance’s new regenerative agriculture demonstration garden and classroom. Designed by Elizabeth Agee, the walking garden features many aspects of regenerative agriculture that can be incorporated into a farm or garden that wishes to become more drought resilient, less fertilizer dependent, pollinator friendly and water wise.

An update on climate change indicators documented throughout 2023, along with some new information on policy and local projects that highlight climate solutions.

Applications OPEN for Paonia AmeriCorps Service Position with CO Farm Food Alliance - The Rural Engagement, Empowerment & Education Associate combines conservation with food security, and is based in a small but vibrant agricultural community of Paonia, on the Western Slope of the Rocky Mountains at the edge of the Colorado Plateau.

For the past 12 years, the North Fork Valley has stood out among small rural communities by consistently sending citizen delegations to Washington, DC each spring. Over time, these trips have helped establish valuable relationships, ensuring that North Fork’s concerns are considered in federal decisions.

New CO Farm & Food Alliance film features a riparian restoration project and rural conservation leadership in action

Colorado Farm and Food Alliance is excited for our spring workshop series to bring the Regenerative Agriculture Gardens and Classroom back, in partnership with our host, Arbol Farm, just outside of Paonia.

Spring workshops topics, from cover cropping in the market garden to alley cropping, teach practices proven to help with better water retention in the soil, higher yields for farmers, and more resilience to drought, erosion and fire.

On April 5-6, we will offer up Rivershed: A Weekend of Awareness and Action for Healthy Lands and Watersheds in Paonia, Colorado.

This weekend of activities will explore themes around our river and water in the west. Through conversations, film, discussion and hands-on activities, we will touch on watershed restoration, beaver and riparian life, the risks of persistent drought and building greater system resilience, and the role of healthy lands in the security of our western river systems.

RSVP today.