Helping to grow local farmers 

In 2018, Woody Tasch, founder of the Slow Money movement (www.slowmoney.org), visited Durango to share insights from his new book, “SOIL,” during a reading at our beloved Maria’s Bookshop.

Inspired by his talk, a number of community members expressed interest in starting a local Slow Money group. Emails were gathered, and the first meeting – held at the Durango Public Library – attracted nearly 50 people.

The energy was exciting and full of promise. 

However, early conversations revealed differing opinions: whether to charge interest on loans to local organic farmers – who often don’t qualify for traditional financing due to perceived risk – or to offer loans at 0%. The idea of “slowing money down,” a cornerstone of the Slow Money philosophy, is rooted in the belief that investing in the health of our soil and food systems brings long-term returns not just to lenders but to entire communities.

Encouraged by this vision, a core group of volunteers committed to exploring the 0% loan model and formally launched what would become Four Corners Slow Money.

In 2019, the group awarded its first loan to Adobe House Farm.

Since then, Four Corners Slow Money has provided a total of $141,855 in 0% interest loans to 17 projects across the Four Corners region. These include local farms and food businesses that use regional ingredients. All but one of these loans have been repaid – proof of both the viability and integrity of our local producers.

The ripple effect of this work is visible at farmers markets, local grocers and even in specialty products. Think of Farm to Summit’s dehydrated meals, James Ranch Market’s Adobe House tomatoes, Breen Mesa Creamery cheese or the local produce stocked at Durango Natural Foods Co-op (DNF) – much of it made possible by these small loans.

The community’s power to shape its own food economy became even more evident through a recent collaboration with DNF. For the past two years, the co-op’s patrons have had the opportunity to “round up” their purchases to support Four Corners Slow Money. Last year alone, this simple action raised more than $12,000, with this year’s donations already surpassing that.

This is what collective action looks like: small gestures – donations, rounding up at the register, volunteering time – coming together to create meaningful change.

To everyone who has contributed, whether through direct donations or by saying “yes” to rounding up: thank you. And deep gratitude to the DNF board, staff and management for continuing to ask that small but powerful question: “Would you like to round up to help local farmers today?” Your efforts are helping grow a more resilient, tasty and healthy future for our region.

In times when the state of the world can feel overwhelming, look no further than this local effort for a reminder: we are making a difference. Together, we’re building a circular economy; one that supports farmers, nurtures the land, strengthens our food systems, and ensures future generations will be able to feed themselves well.

– Linda Illsley, Four Corners Slow Money, Durango