Our county's Extension home economics program is committed to providing information to help families deal with the complex issues of today.

Our programs focus on:

• Improving consumer and family skills
• Building leadership skills

We teach through:

• Local programs
• Community projects
• Group training sessions

Learn more about Extension programs and resources:

• Extension Family & Consumer Sciences
• Extension Health & Family Well-Being
• Cooperative Extension Service

Parenting Skills

The need for developing parenting skills through Extension programs has been ranked 2nd in importance by the Rio Arriba County Advisory Committee. In addition, the Rio Arriba County Maternal & Child Health Care Council has developed several goals and priorities to help strengthen family support systems in the county. Among these are to (1) develop and support educational programs for the prevention of domestic violence and child abuse, (2) promote and support training of child day care providers, and (3) promote the development of after-school and weekend educational programs for older children/adolescents.

Food and Nutrition Education

With a large Hispanic and Native American population, Rio Arriba County ranks 6th in New Mexico for deaths from Type 2 diabetes from 1994-96 (NM-DOH). During that period 42 deaths were directly attributed to diabetes, for a 3-year countywide rate of 38 deaths/100,000 residents. The population of Rio Arriba County is 34,365 (1990 Census). These statistics do not include some deaths caused by heart attacks, strokes or kidney disorder that may be associated to Type 2 diabetes. Local concern about the relationship between nutrition, diet and health mirrors the state situation. The County Advisory Committee continues to identify the issue of diabetes as the foremost educational priority. Partnering with the Northern NM Wellness Network, a coalition of local health and education organizations, including Extension Service, adult consumers will be targeted so nutrition related disease and obesity can be prevented. Key tools for use by the Extension staff include EFNEP curriculum, Food Guide Pyramid, the Dietary Guidelines, Words To The Wise diabetes curriculum, the Food Label, and continued collaboration with relevant local agencies/organizations.

Consumer Education

The need for developing consumer and money management skills in consumers of all ages has been ranked 3rd in importance by the Rio Arriba County Extension Advisory Committee. Rio Arriba County is the 13th most populated county. The 1990 Census reports a 17.4% growth between 1980-90; the population on 1990 was 34,365. The population is estimated to jump to 39,859 by 2000 and up to 45,003 by 2010. Seventy-five percent of residents live in rural areas. Census data also reports that 14.3% of total households in the county (11,461) are Single parent Female households. Per Capita Income in 1994 was $11,731 (30th in NM), with 23% of all families falling below the poverty level. Sixty-three percent of families earn a household income of less than $25,000. Forty-six percent of Single Parent Female families fall below the poverty level. Educational levels in the county show over 1/3 of the population have not completed high school. An estimated 920 families are receiving AFDC benefits. Additionally, 50.7% of women in the county are in the work force. In 1990, 56.4% of children under 18, and 2,073 children under 6 lived in families where either parents (or the one in single parent families) were in the work force. Unemployment rate is 11.8%.

Upcoming Events

Contact Us

Joy Czmyrid, Family and Consumer Science Agent
Phone: 505-685-4523
Email: jczmyrid@nmsu.edu

• NMSU Food Protection Blog
  Current food recalls and allergy alerts are posted on the NMSU Food Protection Blog. These alerts are a concern to New Mexico and surrounding states. Stay healthy and safe!