New First Nations Report Details Policy Efforts that Tribal Communities are Using to Reclaim Their Local Food Systems

LONGMONT, Colorado (February 17, 2017) – First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) has released a new report, Roots of Change: Food Policy in Native Communities, which looks at recent developments in tribal communities aimed at taking control of their local food systems.

"Far too often, tribal communities asserting control over their food systems feel alone. But they are not alone and can garner lessons from other tribal communities working on revitalizing their food systems,” said A-dae Romero-Briones, First Nations Associate Director of Research and Policy for Native Agriculture, and report co-author. “This report reviews recent and lesser-known food-reclaiming strategies and food system work."

The strategies vary from reservation to reservation, with some tribes getting involved in food policy and legislation, land management, food gathering, traditional food access, and the business development of food retailers.

"Native communities are looking at different ways to exert food sovereignty to improve nutrition, health, economies and governance over local food systems," said Raymond Foxworth, First Nations Vice President of Grantmaking, Development and Communications. "Moreover, different sectors within Native communities are involved, including grassroots and nonprofit organizations, businesses and tribal departments. This report highlights what Native nations can do at the policy and legislative levels to improve local food sovereignty."

Some of the tribes featured in the report include Cheyenne River Sioux (South Dakota), Confederated Siletz Tribe (Oregon), Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (Michigan), Lummi Nation (Washington), Muscogee (Creek ) Nation (Oklahoma), Navajo Nation (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado), Salt River Pima Maricopa (Arizona), Sault St. Marie Tribe (Michigan), and the Yurok Tribe (California).

Roots of Change: Food Policy in Native Communities was funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and was created under First Nations’ Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative, or NAFSI. The full report can be downloaded free from the First Nations' Knowledge Center at http://www.firstnations.org/knowledge-center/foods-health. (Note: In the Knowledge Center, if you don’t have one already, you will need to create a free online account in order to download the report. Your account will also give you access to numerous other free resources in the Knowledge Center.)