Shahid Mustafa

Shahid is the co-founder of New Mexican Agrarian Commons and founder of Taylor Hood Farms. Taylor Hood Farms is named in honor of his maternal grandfather Archie Taylor and Tom Hood who were occupational farmers in the early 20th century. Located on multiple sites in and surrounding El Paso, Texas, Taylor Hood is a small diverse farm dedicated to educating and training community members about growing food and local food systems. We are committed to providing community members access to a variety of fresh, nutritious locally grown vegetables. Through the New Mexico Agrarian Commons, Mustafa and his team are working to create land access and equitable opportunities for next-generation and underserved farmers by holding land to provide long-term, affordable and secure lease tenure for regenerative agriculture.

Plenary Speaker

Regenerative Agriculture and Somatic Healing
with Melissa Lopez-Sullivan

How regenerative agriculture helped us reconnect with our ancestral roots and become more grounded in our knowing of purpose as it relates to land stewardship. Hear the story of how Shahid and Melissa came together under unlikely circumstances to realize and achieve their shared goal of preserving ecologically significant agricultural land and agrarian community real estate.

& Roundtable Facilitator

Rooted in Land, Regenerating Futures: The Agrarian Commons Model in Southern New Mexico

The Agrarian Commons presents a transformative model for land stewardship—one that shifts ownership from private control to collective care. Developed by the Agrarian Trust, this framework supports land access, long-term tenure, and regenerative agriculture for next-generation, historically excluded farmers. It centers ecological restoration, community governance, and land justice. Learn more at agrariantrust.org.

This roundtable will be led by Shahid Mustafa, a farmer, educator, and land steward in Southern New Mexico who is working to return a historic Hispano family farm to production through regenerative practices and Commons-based governance. Melissa Lopez-Sullivan will support the conversation by sharing insights from ongoing collaborations, including efforts to build youth education, food sovereignty, and cooperative infrastructure.

Together, we will explore how the Agrarian Commons model can take root in arid landscapes, restore ancestral land relationships, and regenerate soil, culture, and community. Participants will engage in dialogue around local implementation, collective ownership strategies, and the possibilities of building a future where land is held, cared for, and cultivated by and for the people.