Every day across the country, American Indian, Alaska
Native, and Native Hawaiian farmers, ranchers, food systems advocates, and Tribal
government officials strive to improve the health and vitality of their people,
feed their communities, and bring quality food products to people from coast to
coast—and beyond! With 56 million+ acres of land in food production in Indian
Country, the Indigenous Food & Agriculture Initiative highlights today what
many Native producers already know—Native people are a dynamic force in
American agriculture. That is true today just as it was true in the days
pre-contact, when rich Native foodways as diverse and plentiful as the people
who cultivated them spread across this wide continent.
Though the Initiative continually celebrates the hard work
and accomplishments of those who keep Native food and agriculture going strong,
we are proud to participate in Native American Heritage Month every November so
we can make special recognition of their efforts, their sacrifices, and their deep
commitment to the health of their food systems, people, and communities.
To Native producers, who labor tirelessly each day to
cultivate the plants and care for the animals that become the food that
nourishes us;
To Native food systems advocates, who revitalize health,
communities, and culture with a return to traditional foods and foodways;
To Tribal government officials, who recognize the extraordinary importance of supporting healthy food and resilient food systems through laws and policies;
And to our youth, who represent the future of all our
communities:
The Initiative staff extends our deepest gratitude, this
month and in all months, for the work that you do. We are proud to support you
as you support the rest of us.