Apply Now for Native Agriculture & Food Systems College Scholarships

First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) is now accepting applications for the fifth year of its First Nations Native Agriculture and Food Systems Scholarship Program that aims to encourage more Native American college students to enter the agricultural sector in Native communities.

First Nations will award five scholarships of $1,000 each to Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian college students majoring in agriculture and related fields, including but not limited to agribusiness management, agriscience technologies, agronomy, animal husbandry, aquaponics, environmental studies, fisheries and wildlife, food production and safety, food-related policy and legislation, food science and technology, horticulture, irrigation science, nutrition education, and sustainable agriculture or food systems.

Complete information and a link to the online application can be found at http://www.firstnations.org/grantmaking/scholarship. All applications must be completed and submitted by 5 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time on Thursday, October 4, 2018.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• Be a full-time undergraduate or graduate student majoring in an agricultural-related field, or be able to demonstrate how their degree program relates to Native food systems.

• Be tribally-affiliated and able to provide documentation.

• Have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.75.

• Demonstrate a commitment to helping his or her Native community reclaim local food-system control.

Applicants will be asked to complete an online application and provide other required information, including proof of tribal affiliation, college enrollment verification, unofficial transcripts, a letter of recommendation from a faculty member, and a short essay submission of 250 to 500 words.

First Nations believes that reclaiming control over local food systems is an important step toward ensuring the long-lasting health and economic well-being of Native people and communities. Native food-system control has the potential to increase food production, improve health and nutrition, and eliminate food insecurity in rural and reservation-based communities, while also promoting entrepreneurship and economic development. The purpose of the Native Agriculture and Food Systems Scholarship Program is to encourage more Native American college students to enter these fields so they can better assist their communities with these efforts.