FOOD SOVEREIGNTY THROUGH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND VALUE-BASED POLICY DEVELOPMENT

Transcription

1 FOOD SOVEREIGNTY THROUGH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND VALUE-BASED POLICY DEVELOPMENT Meskwaki Food Sovereignty Initiative Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa aka Meskwaki Nation Tama, Iowa Emma O Polka ffec.econdev@meskwaki-nsn.gov Mary Augustine lfc.econdev@meskwaki-nsn.gov Jennifer Vazquez-Koster mfsi.econdev@meskwaki-nsn.gov

2 BY SKYLAR PAPAKEE MESKWAKI SETTLEMENT SCHOOL STUDENT

3 MESKWAKI FOOD SOVEREIGNTY INITIATIVE Community Development Economic Development Value-Based Policies MFSI EST. 2012

4 WHAT IS FOOD SOVEREIGNTY? In a nutshell: It s the right of peoples to define their own food, agriculture, livestock and fisheries systems. Cover of Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education, Spring 2011 edition It is a right, in other words, to have a say about the food system

5 NATIVE AMERICAN FOOD SOVEREIGNTY Access to food as a basic human right. Elimination of hunger and food insecurity. Building more local and regional food self-reliance and thriving local economies. Creating a more democratic food system that gives communities a greater role in deciding how their food is produced and distributed. Making the food system more equitable and socially just. Developing environmentally sustainable food production and distribution systems. Teaching young people in food production and preparation, and connecting them to other community issues through food traditions. Preserving and celebrating culture through food. - NAFSI Food Sovereignty Assessment Tool First Nations Development Institute

6 A NATIONAL, GROWING Bad River Food Sovereignty MOVEMENT... Mvskoke Food Sovereignty Initiative Yurok Food Sovereignty Red Willow Farm Taos Pueblo Pine Ridge Food Sovereignty

7 BRIEF HISTORY OF THE People of the Red Earth Eastern Woodlands Culture Algonquian language family Historically located in St. Lawrence River Valley, MI, WI, IL, MO and IA In Iowa since 1730 s Forcibly moved to Kansas in 1845 Some Meskwaki stayed in IA though and worked with local and federal authorities to regain rights to land In 1857, purchased 80 acres in Iowa what would eventually become the Meskwaki Settlement MESKWAKI Today the Meskwaki Settlement is ~7,400 acres of rolling woodlands, river bottom and now farm land 1100 enrolled Meskwaki members living on Sett ~600 more living elsewhere Experienced poverty, kept to selves Casino opened in early 90 s Buying land back Provide housing, school, clinic and public utilities to all members Maintain traditional religion and many aspects of traditional culture

8 Farmers Market Farm-to-School Chapter Community Harvest Meals Health and Nutrition Food Security Senior Center Garden Meskwaki Settlement School (MSS) Garden Meskwaki Food Sovereignty Initiative MFSI Meskwaki Cultural Curriculum on Food + Sustainability Community Outreach + Workshops Education Cultural Education Data on Food System Education + Outreach on Farm Businesses Community & Economic Development Community Gardens Food Sovereignty Assessment Community & Economic Development

9 FOOD SOVEREIGNTY ASSESSMENT Gain community input Identifying Goals, Resources and Barriers Tell community s story of food, farming, eating & culture. How has it changed? What s next? Working towards sustainability Integrate with other Tribal agricultural policies & departments

10 RESPONSES & COMMENTS We need to provide for our own needs first and build the relationship back; we should have more buffalo and eat more buffalo ourselves first. No fishing on this river! (pollution) Anything cultural taught to the children at the school and to community members would be extremely beneficial to the livelihood and the prosperity of the Tribe. As long as they allow EVERYONE to attend workshops offered by community members, not just enrolled members. Hunting and fishing on the Sett for enrolled AND descendants! Very supportive of featuring local foods and traditional foods at casino. Do You Support the Following Activities? Strongly Support/ Support Senior Garden 98% Food Gathering Walks, Daily Farm Stand, Nutrition Classes, Meat Locker/Butchering Services Community Local Foods Meal, Gardening Lessons, MSS School Garden, Community Kitchen 96% 94% Volunteer Program 93% Cooking Classes 92% Tribal Greenhouse, Seed Saving 91% Exchange Hunting, Fishing on the Sett, MSS F2S Program 90% Other Community Gardens 89% Commercial Buffalo Herd 88.5% Workshops by Community Members 88% Tribal-Run Farm, Small Farmer Business Training Tribal Members Operating a Farm, Local Food Advisory Council 78% 77%

11 Goal 1: Ensure the health and well-being of all Meskwaki Tribal Members Goal 2: Conserve and restore the natural resources on the Meskwaki Settlement Goal 3: Ensure access to local and traditional foods on the Settlement Goal 4: Provide access to training on gardening, farming and cooking Goal 5: Establish Meskwaki food infrastructure for the production, processing, and storage of food Goal 6: Provide education on traditional and current food system practices...resisting and reclaiming form an integral part of our concept of sustainable development (McGregor 2010).

12 MESKWAKI FOOD SOVEREIGNTY INITIATIVE Economic Development Community Development MFSI EST Value-Based Policies

13 RED EARTH GARDENS 40 acres Certified Organic (transitional now) Fruits, Vegetables, Hay

14 RED EARTH GARDENS grow food, grow farmers, grow community Phase 1 (2013) Establish farm; build essential infrastructure; Grow 1.5 a produce; Provide 4 jobs; Establish farm stand; Maintain records; Design organic crop plan; Hold 3 workshops; See revenues of $8 10k Phase 2 (2014) Expand farm (community input); build a greenhouse; establish perennial hedgerows; expand workshops offered; increase revenues ($35k) Phase 3 ( ) Farm Certified Organic; expand programming; have farm be selfsufficient within 4-5 years from launch ($45k)

15 KEY MARKETS Built Mobile Farm Stand Farm Stand at Tribally-run Travel Plaza Farmers Market in Toledo Online Cooperative in Grinnell Online orders for employees Hy-Vee Grocery Store - Marshalltown Other grocery stores & restaurants Sell to MBCH (casino) Tribally Supported Agriculture (TSA)

16 PERMACULTURE ORCHARD

17 MASTER PLAN

18 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT: PROMOTING TRIBAL ECONOMIES COURSE 3-week program for community members interested in farming or related business Speakers Field trips Team building activities Develop workplace skills 180 hours on-the-job training Community project

19 HAPPY CUSTOMERS!

20 MESKWAKI FOOD SOVEREIGNTY INITIATIVE Community Development Economic Development Value-Based Policies MFSI EST. 2012

21 ELDER S GARDEN Very first MFSI project Roughly half-acre fruit/vegetable garden Central location, across street from Tribal Center and Senior Center All produce donated to Senior Center

22 ELDER S GARDEN ELDERS Elder s committee: input, plans, direction, indigenous knowledge Garden outings Creating seating, shade areas, raised beds Traditional foods & seeds Garden produce and traditional foods in meal program YOUTH Sharing indigenous knowledge Supports intergenerational learning. Weekly work-days, families encouraged to attend Summer Youth Employment Program

23 MESKWAKI SETTLEMENT SCHOOL GARDEN Traditional foods production Salad Bar Traditional growing practices Seed saving & Seed Sovereignty In-class and family produce use Pre-K Immersion Pumpkin Patch

24 MAPLE SYRUP CAMP Historic and modern Native food economies Generational skill building Experiential education Nutrition education Meskwaki language Culture & spirituality Natural resources

25 CLASSROOM & COMMUNITY RESOURCES

26 COMMUNITY GARDEN Managed by MFSI, independent gardeners and plots Range of 4-13 families participate each year Season rental agreement: space, water, technical assistance, plants/seeds Room to expand based on community usage and need

27 OTHER COMMUNITY PROGRAMS Seasonal community meals, workshops, Food Film Festival

28 MESKWAKI FOOD SOVEREIGNTY INITIATIVE Community Development Economic Development Value-Based Policies MFSI EST. 2012

29 MESKWAKI NATION Vision Statement based on 2014 Strategic Planning To rely on the knowledge and experiences of the past, along with the will to survive to advance the people, culture, and well-being of the Meskwaki Nation

30 MESKWAKI NATION VALUES Top 5 values Courage: Miskawiteewenwi Love: Tebanetiwiwenwi Respect: Akwenemetiwiwenwi Spirituality: Tebwetamowenwi Wisdom: Nebwakawenwi

31 THE DECOLONIZED BOTTOM LINE A Framework for Developing Indigenous Innovation Fonda Walters and John Takamura, 2015 Community Spirituality Sustainability Indigenous Entrepreneurship A model of innovation and development grounded in acknowledging the past and creating sustainable, viable tribal economies for the future.

32 COMMUNITY Visioning who the community or nation is rests within the people themselves and is set in both ancestral knowledge of the past, as well as in present and future knowledge. Clans and kinship networks are existing and encompass both human and our natural world.

33 SPIRITUALITY SOCIAL BELIEFS, VALUES AND TRADITIONS 3 Step process for integrating spirituality into development: 1) Efforts to gain knowledge of local (indigenous) knowledge through discussion, observation and participatory research. 2) Develop individual and community goals and reflect on how local beliefs either aid or limit them. 3) Making decisions about goals and how to achieve them, through blending outside information with indigenous knowledge and traditional values.

34 SUSTAINABILITY ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL Community members are actors within a complex system: economy, social, ecological and environmental. Nation building and the inter-connectedness of human beings. Sustaining community welfare and taking into account all generations. When cultural match is high, development is more effective.

35 ENTREPRENEURSHIP Balancing the 3 aspects of social, environmental and economic remains a big challenge for entrepreneurs. It is promising that innovation and entrepreneurship is already encompassed within indigenous values and therefore less reconciliation has to be done. Without indigenous entrepreneurship and innovation, we would not have corn, chocolate etc.

36 CAPACITY BUILDING FOR POLICY CHANGE How can we built capacity in our communities? Real-life experiences can shape best practices. Gain stakeholders to have diverse participants in policy creation. Create policy and guidelines that work with existing and future systems.

37 POLICY EXAMPLES: Native foods in USDA food programs Land and agriculture use policy University of Arkansas School of Law: Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative.

38 WHAT S NEXT? KETEBI