HOW THE FARM BILL CAN HELP NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES
By U.S. Senator Tina Smith
One of the best parts of my job is traveling around the state to talk to Minnesotans about what they care about and the issues impacting them. A top priority this year has been discussing the upcoming Farm Bill. My staff and I have had conversations with dozens of stakeholders, including farmers, researchers, co-ops, Native and Tribal communities, and other farmers and producers of color to ensure the next Farm Bill works for everyone.
Native and Tribal communities face persistent inequities in nutrition and the agriculture sector, and the Farm Bill is the best opportunity this year to address them. As a member of both the Senate Indian Affairs and Agriculture committees, I have a unique opportunity to help lead the next Farm Bill so it works for your communities. It is critical that we include the priorities and voices of Native American producers and Tribal governments in the decision-making process. Native communities across the nation face unique challenges in the agriculture sector and it is our responsibility in Congress to address these disparities by providing meaningful support for Tribal agricultural programs.
Every time I visit the Mille Lacs Band Reservation, I’m impressed by the central role that fish and wild rice (manoomin) play in the culture and lives of Mille Lacs Band members. Food sovereignty for the Band means their fish and wild rice are protected, the ability of individual Band members to take and harvest is ensured, and traditional Mille Lacs Band cultural practices are preserved. I’ve been working hard with the Band’s Chief Executive, Melanie Benjamin, and the Native Farm Bill Coalition that the Band helped to form, to make sure the Farm Bill advances these goals, and makes more federal resources available for rural development and conservation on the Mille Lacs Band Reservation’s lands and waters. Together, we are working to shape a Farm Bill that expands Band members’ access to nutritious food and nutrition education consistent with Band culture and Indigenous ecological knowledge.
Congress passes a Farm Bill every five years, and the current one is set to expire at the end of September. This is a massive piece of legislation that funds and sets the policy on a wide variety of programs ranging from nutrition and agriculture to conservation and forestry. It also supports Tribal colleges by providing funding for agricultural education, research, scholarships, and rural development initiatives. This bill touches the lives of every American and is vital to our state and Tribal economies. But it hasn’t always been equitable or fair. We’re working to change that with the creation of a ‘Native Farm Bill.’
I am working in Congress to create the ‘Native Farm Bill,’ a collection of policy proposals that collectively would mean real progress throughout the Farm Bill for Native and Tribal communities. This package will include everything from self-governance expansion to making it easier to access federal agricultural programs on trust land.
Tribal sovereignty and self-governance are at the center of this work. New opportunities for self-governance are the biggest priority for Indian Country; they would allow Tribal Nations to administer federal programs within their own communities. This model has proven itself to be very successful in health care and Tribal programs through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In 2018, the Farm Bill included the first ever self-governance expansion at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for food distribution and wildfire management. These policies proved that it’s time for broader self-governance expansion at USDA.
Self-governance policies are important because they make federal dollars work better to address the unique needs of Tribal communities. The Farm Bill gives us the chance to expand self-governance at USDA to include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), food distribution program, forestry, conservation, and meat processing. Expanding self-governance at USDA will mean that Tribal Nations can build food systems to address food insecurity, increase access to Indigenous foods, use Indigenous knowledge for forest management and conservation, and support strong Tribal economies.
The Farm Bill presents us with an opportunity to rectify historical injustices, address disparities, and support the self-determination of Native American producers and the sovereignty of Tribal governments. By working with Native and Tribal leaders, we can ensure the next Farm Bill empowers Tribal governments to develop and implement sustainable agricultural strategies that align with their unique needs and priorities. Together, we are forging a path towards a more just, equitable, and inclusive agricultural landscape that benefits us all. Now is the time to seize the moment and work collaboratively to ensure that the upcoming Farm Bill is the best one yet and reflects the needs of our Native and Tribal communities.
