Community garden project to boost food access in Silver City area on pause after DEI orders

SILVER CITY — Elysha Montoya remembers sneaking a taste of lemon cucumber in the community garden her mother ran, hoping her mom would mistake the missing bite for the work of a garden pest. In a county where food insecurity is above the state average, Montoya is working to reestablish the garden after it was dismantled more than a decade ago, but federal funding for the project was suspended, likely because of an executive order aimed at killing diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

“Although this plot of land isn’t going to be enough for us to feed the entire community, it’s enough for us to be able to provide training,” Montoya said. “It’s enough for us to put the idea in people’s heads that they can grow their own food.”

Food insecurity in Grant County was approximately 17% in 2022, according to Map the Meal Gap, and 76% of the county’s population was below the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program threshold. The nonprofit Montoya works for, The National Center for Frontier Communities, has a design ready for the community garden and greenhouse training center the federal government agreed to pay almost $400,000 for, but the money was abruptly suspended in January because the word equity is in the project’s title. Months later, the nonprofit is still awaiting clarity on the future of its grant.

President Donald Trump signed two executive orders in January aimed at limiting support for diversity, equity and inclusion in government, one of which required federal agencies to end any “equity-related” grants or contracts. Those orders have affected a broad range of programs, including halting annual training camps for women aspiring to be wildland firefighters. Multiple lawsuits have been filed related to the DEI executive orders.

“Americans deserve a government committed to serving every person with equal dignity and respect, and to expending precious taxpayer resources only on making America great,” the order to end radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing reads.

Ben Rasmussen, National Center for Frontier Communities CEO, thinks that when the U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended equity-related grants, someone simply searched for the word equity and put grants that included it on hold.

“I know they didn’t read through it, because the grant is about developing the local food economy,” Rasmussen said. The nonprofit originally couldn’t secure the grant under the Biden administration until the application was rewritten to include the word equity, he said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not respond to a request for comment. Frontier Food Hub has heard nothing from USDA, aside from a note in the online portal where the grant funds are received that the grant was suspended because of its connection to equity.

The project’s plans include training programs to teach people about growing their own food, collaborating with other groups to increase food access, education at farm stands and mobile markets, and reigniting the Southwest New Mexico Regional Food Policy Council. During the first year and a half of the four-year grant, the nonprofit designed the garden and greenhouse, reestablished the food policy council, conducted a survey to understand local food scarcity, expanded food distribution to serve Luna, Hidalgo, Catron and Grant counties, educated elementary students on the food system, added two new farm stands in the Silver City area, and hosted workshops on water harvesting, making salsa and tortillas and composting.

While the nonprofit has received part of the $398,000 grant, $60,000 has not been reimbursed and $290,000 remains outstanding, Rasmussen said.

Although the federal dollars are up in the air, Montoya is determined to keep working on the garden. Montoya said her mother, Loretta Marrufo, is proud to see the former green space being revived.

“She cries every time she hears about it,” Montoya said. “I think it’s really something that she’s extremely proud of.”