To facilitate agriculture, consumer, and environmental collaboration, engagement and awareness by providing education programs, planning, training, and exercising to ensure the wellness of the whole community in the southwest borderland and beyond.
Increasing industry and consumer protection.
The Southwest Border Food Protection and Emergency Preparedness Center (SWBC) is a collaborative effort of New Mexico State University (NMSU) College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) and the New Mexico Department of Agriculture. The SWBC helps protect the nation's food supply against threats ranging from foodborne illnesses, supply chain disruptions to agroterrorism.
We honor a three-prong approach to Food Protection: Food Safety, Food Defense and Food Security.
The Center works to protect New Mexico agriculture through planning, training and assisting in the response to all hazard events. In the majority of New Mexico's 33 counties, agriculture is the #1 economic engine and the SWBC seeks to train emergency responders, law enforcement, extension personnel (including agriculture agents, home economists and nutrition educators) and NMDA personnel in agriculture security, food protection and family, business and community preparedness.
The SWBC assesses the security of agriculture operations through our AGROGUARD program and provides training for farmers, dairy and livestock producers, public health officials, law enforcement and the public. We maintain first-response trailers across the state stocked with equipment to help officials respond to an agriculture emergency.
