Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)

First Nations Publishes New Native American-Centric Farm-to-School Resource Guide

LONGMONT, Colorado (October 17, 2018) – First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) today released the Native Farm-to-School Resource Guide, a comprehensive manual for planning and implementing farm-to-school programs in Native American communities. Increasingly, Native farm-to-school programs have become an important way to introduce traditional foods and practices into curriculum, as well as to promote Native health, self-reliance and sustainability.

Farm-to-school is the common phrase for programs and activities designed to incorporate local foods into school systems to better educate students about nutrition, agriculture and culinary arts. These programs typically include hands-on, experiential learning activities that strengthen the connection between students, farmers and the community.

Similarly, Native farm-to-school programs introduce traditional, locally-produced foods into school systems to improve student nutrition and increase knowledge of traditional foods, languages and ceremonies. Additionally, Native farm-to-school programs can boost tribal economies, as many of these locally-produced food items can be purchased and utilized in school lunch programs.

The Native Farm-to-School Resource Guide was developed by identifying existing Native and non-Native farm-to-school programs and analyzing best practices, lessons learned, biggest challenges and case study examples of programs that achieved high-level impact and long-term sustainability. The result is a process guide for planning Native farm-to-school programs as well as a guide for tribal officials to engage their leadership and create buy-in for the farm-to-school process.

"The Native Farm-to-School Resource Guide is a necessary resource for communities striving to educate youth and community members on healthy, traditional agricultural practices," said A-dae Romero-Briones, First Nations' Director of Programs for Native Agriculture and Food Systems. "Creating a community-driven food system that engages both youth and elders increases tribal agricultural sovereignty. These efforts lead to increases in overall community health through improved knowledge and awareness of agriculture, increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, and the hands-on learning that supports physical well-being."

This guide was produced under First Nations' Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative (NAFSI), which began in 2002 to support Native communities building economic development through sustainable food systems that improve health and nutrition, strengthen food security, create food-related businesses and increase control of Native agriculture and food systems. In particular, the guide was an outgrowth of a grant First Nations received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Advocacy and Outreach aimed at training Native farmers and ranchers to increase their successful participation in USDA programs and build their capacity to manage agriculture and food-system operations. One of the outcomes included creating a Native farm-to-school development training as a supplemental effort to engage more Native communities in the farm-to-school movement.

The Native Farm-to-School Resource Guide is available as a free download from https://firstnations.org/knowledge-center/foods-health/resources. (Please note that if you don't already have one, you will need to create a free online account to download the report. That account will give you access to many other free resources and materials in the First Nations Knowledge Center.)

About First Nations Development Institute

For 38 years, using a three-pronged strategy of educating grassroots practitioners, advocating for systemic change, and capitalizing Indian communities, First Nations has been working to restore Native American control and culturally-compatible stewardship of the assets they own – be they land, human potential, cultural heritage or natural resources – and to establish new assets for ensuring the long-term vitality of Native American communities. First Nations serves Native American communities throughout the United States. For more information, visit http://www.firstnations.org.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 03/27/2024 01:56