Native American Agriculture

Social Justice and Food

April 1, 2013Brian Potts, AICP

Why is this important?

• Native Americans sustainably lived off the land for millennia

• Lack of healthful food is a serious problem for all Americans, especially Natives

• Relearning and retaining cultural traditions: eating in harmony with the land and your genetics

Cultural Misunderstandings

Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863–1930)

Strong Connection to the Land"The American Indian is of the soil,

whether it be the region of forests, plains, pueblos, or mesas. He fits into the landscape, for the hand that fashioned the continent also fashioned the man for his surroundings. He once grew as naturally as the wild sunflowers, he belongs just as the buffalo belonged...."

- Luther Standing Bear, Oglala Sioux Chief (argued in Court that Natives should be treated as people in the eyes of the law)

Taming Nature and the Natives

Native Americans:• Relocated, lost land• Divorced from culture• Taught to ranch and

farm using “western” methods

• Western diet• Reservations system

American expansion:• Destruction of the

native species and ecosystem

• Plowing up Prairie• Sustainable ag.

compared to today

Health Crisis

• Loss of cultural traditions• Poverty• Lack of land control• Policy Disconnect: Food

programs and dietary needs• 1.6 times as likely to be

obese than whites• Higher rates of heart

disease and diabetes• 50% less likely to engage in

physical exercise

Solutions

Instead of Westernizing, revive cultural traditions tied to food:

• Local vegetables• “Three-sisters”• Bison• Sheep• Value-added products

Local Farming

Grants and Programs:• Education on nutrition

and farming• Greenhouses and

community gardens• Facilities to add value• Focusing on vegetables

Local FarmingFirst Nations:

“The Colorado Plateau is a large geographic area covering parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. The development of power generation on the Colorado Plateau has negatively impacted tribes and Native communities in the area. In an effort to combat these challenges, The Christensen Fund and the USDA-Rural Community Development Initiatives have each donated $50,000 ($100,000 total) to improve their local food systems and strengthen their economies”

Food for Native Seniors

• Sipaulovi, Arizona – $25,000

• Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico – $25,000

• Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico – $25,000

• Ponca Tribe, Oklahoma – $25,000

Three Sisters

• Chaco Culture NP, Hovenweep NM, Mesa Verde MP

• Allows for agriculture in dry, arid climates

• Ancient system found throughout North America

Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance

• The NAFSA project is a collaborative between First Nations and Taos County Economic Development Corporation (TCEDC) to support the development of a sustainable, nonprofit, Native-controlled and nationally-active Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance that will operate independently to address Native food security, hunger and nutrition in Native American communities at the national, tribal and local levels. The purpose of the Alliance will be to build a national Native movement and voice on Native food security and food system control.

Value-added ProductsDiné bé Iiná (The Navajo Lifeway), Window Rock,

Arizona• In 2004, six Navajo weavers approached DBI for

assistance in organizing their own rug auction so that they could exercise control over management and income from this endeavor, while training the weavers how use their own or locally-produced wool to earn more income from their work. Since that time, the group has successfully conducted rug auctions each year during the Sheep is Life Celebration. Criteria accept only fiber arts made with 100 per cent wool, with a premium placed on using handspun, Navajo-raised wool in natural colors or vegetal dyes. Southwest Marketing Network has provided technical assistance on forming a cooperative business.

Bison

• A healthy bison diet• Balancing between

tradition and living• Restores key part of

local ecosystem • Provides income for

tribes

Bison Facilitators

• United Tribal Technical College

• National Bison Assoc.

• InterTribal Buffalo Council

Bison Traditions• Using USDA mobile

slaughterhouses to conduct rituals and reduce stress on the animal

• Cayuse Indians (Oregon) once traveled hundreds of miles on horseback to hunt bison

• Montana gave permission to the Nez Perce of Idaho and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes of northwest Montana to hunt bison on federal lands outside Yellowstone

Conclusion: Moving Forward

• Native Americans returning to sustainable cultural lifestyles

• Improving access to healthful food

• Developing a local and Native controlled economy

Native American youth farmer markets sell veggies from heirloom seeds – Minneapolis, NM

Discussion:

• What is your understanding or experience of Native American health issues?

• What do you think we can learn from Native American food and cultural

• traditions when it comes to foodshed planning in general?

Urban Farming and Zoning

Barriers to Growing Where You Live

April 1, 2013Brian Potts, AICP

Zoning in Theory

• Preservation of quality of life, property value, safety

• Land Use – What kind of uses can happen where to prevent things like…– Mix of uses: Living next to a steel mill– Density: 40 story towers next to a small house– Safety: buildings in flood-prone areas

• Main goal: Encouraging good development to make quality communities

Zoning in Practice• Most of the time this

works well but sometimes regulations lag behind societies needs and mismatch modern lifestyles

• Bad economy=home occupations (including small-scale farming)

• Hobbies: gardening versus urban farming

Separation of Uses

Modern Zoning:• Keep uses separate: Commercial,

Residential, Industrial, Agricultural• Ag and residential used to be

mixedToday:• Its good to live where you work• Fighting “food deserts”• Farming as an amenity• Desire to grow food at home

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Aesthetics, height of plants, specifications for types of plants, HOA covenants:

Intent – To prevent overgrown landscaping and well maintained property to have a good looking community and stable property values

In practice – Unintentionally prohibit front yard gardening (sometime intentionally)

Discussion

• How do we grow more food where we live?

• Can we grow all the food we need where we live?

• Identifying barriers…

Further Questions?

Brian PottsPotts.psgs@gmail.com