Scott Elliott: Tribes working to restore sovereignty over food

For thousands of years Native Americans thrived in self-sustaining communities. Now, many have to make do with whatever food and basic goods can be hauled in by truck.

“The Oglala Lakota people thrived for centuries as a self-sustaining community. They utilized the bounty of their local environment to provide food and shelter,” said Nick Hernandez, Community Food Project director at South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation. “In modern times, 95 percent of food and basic goods are hauled onto the Oglala Lakota Nation, perpetuating a phenomenon known as a ‘food desert’.”

Food deserts are locations without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable foods. USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is working to eradicate food deserts through its Community Food Project (CFP) grants program. CFPs give communities the funds they need to re-establish local control over their food supply.

“CFPs provide locally grown, culturally appropriate foods to the Native American community; foods that will help enhance their health and are familiar,” said Jane Clary Loveless, national program leader in NIFA’s Division of Nutrition.