MENOMINEE INDIGENOUS FOOD SYSTEM INITIATIVE
The US Department of Agriculture 2018-2022 Strategic Plan (USDA) recognizes its role in helping provide access to safe and nutritious food for limited income people, by supporting limited resource individuals and families in their efforts to escape food insecurity and hunger and improve their well-being. These objectives require partnerships between State, local agencies, and Federal, public and private entities to support best practices in implementing effective programs and ensuring eligible populations have access to programs that support their local food needs. One of the USDA’s strategies is to provide Indigenous peoples with traditional foods that are desired. The Menominee Indigenous food system initiative is a collaborative project between the 1994 College of Menominee and UW Madison Extension programs. The initiative is built on the concept of a sovereign food systems that connects the Indigenous cultural beliefs of spirit, body, mind and heart to the food system. The initiative will access community needs through the Menominee Wellness Survey; integrate Indigenous language and culture through Menominee stories about food and Indigenous food programs and outreach strategies. Current successful programs developed include the establishment of CSA, Farmers Market, seed and plant distribution, seed bank, seed research and sovereign food convening. As one of four topics within the current New Technologies for Agricultural Extension federal grant, the Menominee food project, as the lone community focused initiative, will develop a publication and professional development opportunities that will be shared with other 1994 Tribal institutions, FALCON, and tribal organizations. The project will take a deep dive into sovereign food production, exploring the impact that workshops and seed and plant distributions has on the presence of Indigenous food being sold at community Farmers Market’s and CSA’s.
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