During summer 2020, I participated in a Praxis internship with the New Mexico Acequia Association. In my classes at Smith I’ve been able to fine-tune my ability to think critically about the relationship between agriculture and policy, but this experience pushed me to learn more about myself and the kind of change I want to see in the world. With the uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, I am proud to have worked with an organization focused on food security and the preservation of traditional farming practices.

“By combining my government major with the environmental concentration, I have learned so much about the intersection of resource management and agriculture, and how I can use this knowledge to fight for justice and equity within our food system.”

Acequias systems are networks of ditches distributing water to local ranching and farming communities. They are an essential, decommodified way to provide clean water supplies for community agriculture. Over the course of my internship I enjoyed attending water governance trainings and seed-sharing sessions, and creating educational resources for community members on the history and present state of proposed mining projects. After my internship, I was inspired to continue investigating the topic of water governance and designed a special studies project during the 2020–21 academic year.

By combining my government major with the environmental concentration I have learned so much about the intersection of resource management and agriculture, and how I can use this knowledge to fight for justice and equity within our food system.