Long before the United States existed, this land has been and continues to be inhabited by hundreds of distinct Indigenous nations. Methods of resource utilization, harvesting, agricultural and management practices differ by region and by culture. However, through the examination of oral traditions and archaeological evidence, we know that a deep emotional and spiritual connection between humans and the land threads together most, and potentially all, of the belief systems of native peoples on this continent. Highly diverse Indigenous spirituality systems and creation stories set the foundation of a dynamic, living universe, upon which all beings are interconnected. Storytelling, a critical facet of Indigenous transmission, has passed down generations of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), providing a framework for responsible, sustainable human interaction and understanding of the natural world.
Strides have been made in the U.S and elsewhere to improve sustainability and reduce the harmful effects of our dominant food production system, partly by incorporating practices that are considered standard within the organic farming methodology, such as cover cropping. However, the prevalence of, and forced dependence upon industrial agriculture continues to undermine Indigenous food sovereignty and utilization of TEK in farming and ranching, as well as disproportionately affect the physical and mental health of Native communities.
“Indigenous food sovereignty” is not a universally defined concept, but generally refers to a community’s ability to control, oversee and cater their food production and distribution to the determined nutritional and cultural needs of the people. Food sovereignty additionally seeks to establish food security, working to eradicate hunger and poverty by emphasizing community engagement, and making healthy, nutritious food widely available. A large component of the food sovereignty movement in the United States centers around the reincorporation of traditional food sources, as well as cultivation and preparation processes. Overall, supporting food sovereignty means supporting decolonization: restoring many Indigenous peoples to their historical role as highly successful custodians and managers of the earth.
At its roots, organic and regenerative agriculture both seek to foster a greater understanding of the needs of the land, fostering a harmonious relationship between the farmer, the farm, and the consumer. The organic system was defined in response to the advent of chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in the 1930s and 40s, a shunning of attempts to naturally manage agricultural land in ways that would build soil resilience. The holistic philosophy behind organic and regenerative agriculture methods are rooted in TEK, and in the goal of seeking to mend previous anthropogenic damage, a result of colonization, capitalism, and industrialization. Focusing on the rebuilding of soil health, conservation of water, reduction of runoff, and practices such as polyculture (growing multiple, mutually beneficial crops on the same plot) all tie in to create an approach that can work in tandem with the uplifting of native techniques of farming and environmental maintenance.
As we hurtle towards an uncertain future dictated by how we will be able to reverse and/or adapt to the devastating impacts of climate change, we must also grapple with the question of who will be affected most in the coming decades. Advocacy for the increased study and adoption of these alternative systems of farming is a way that OFRF supports the Indigenous food sovereignty movement, in addition to funding research that creates space for crucial dialogue and collaboration with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) farmers.
Here are a few inspiring and thought-provoking resources we found to continue the conversation:
*Images courtesy of the linked sources.
Globalising Hope: The courageous journey of La Via Campesina
The advocacy and influence of La Via Campesina: an international social justice movement centered around food sovereignty, uplifting rural, small-scale and subsistence farmers, and providing both technical and political agroecology training at over 70 LVC schools globally.
Seeding Food Sovereignty: Black and Indigenous Farming Leaders Share Their Strategies
A panel discussion amongst BIPOC community leaders, activists, and farmers on the future of the food sovereignty movement, and the critical importance of highlighting BIPOC voices in dismantling the destructive system of industrial agriculture.
What is the Land Back Movement? Tribal lands were stolen. What happens when those ancestral territories are returned?
A brief history of the Land Back Movement and federal Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations, and how Indigenous land reclamation is leading to successful restorative climate resilience projects.
Indigenous Food & Agriculture Initiative: Putting Tribal Sovereignty in Food Sovereignty
The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative through the University of Arkansas is focused on supporting tribal nations in reaching food sovereignty goals, largely through policy and legal analysis and the promotion of tribally-backed, sustainable growth and distribution.
Murmurations: Climate Solutions Require Black Ecology
This article traces the forced disconnection of Black and Indigenous peoples from the land to our present-day responsibility of dismantling the myth of white supremacy. Reversing the environmental destruction created by the industrialization of colonized lands demands the acknowledgement of the relationship between Black liberation and ecology.
Read more here.
Indigenous Food Sovereignty Movements Are Taking Back Ancestral Land
There is a growing momentum behind the Indigenous food sovereignty movement. Over the past few decades, Native American tribes in the U.S. have been fighting for the return of ancestral lands for access to traditional foodways through organizing and advocacy work, coalition building, and legal procedure—and increasingly seeing success.
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