Food Sovereignty in Southern New England

Commodities

Practices

Communities in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut face challenges to food access, land connection, and cultural preservation due to colonial legacies. These challenges result in significantly higher rates of food insecurity and poverty among some populations compared to regional averages. This project, led by the Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust (PPLT), seeks to address this by advancing food sovereignty, revitalizing Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), training the next generation of tribal leaders, and fostering intertribal collaboration. The initiative will support 50 families across Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut through backyard gardens, a community garden, and a medicinal garden. These spaces will equip families to grow their own food and medicine, fostering self-sufficiency, improving food security, and rebuilding connections to land and culture. Hands-on training will be provided throughout the season to help families apply traditional gardening practices. Two new staff members will be trained under the guidance of experienced program leaders to build skills in traditional gardening, land stewardship, and community-based agriculture. To further strengthen the impact, the project will facilitate trust-building and collaboration among the Pocasset Wampanoag, Narragansett, Pequot, and Eastern Pequot Tribal communities. Through shared initiatives and community gatherings, the project aims to address historical divisions and create a foundation for mutual trust, cooperation, and solidarity.

Evaluation of the project's success will include regular family garden reports, interviews, and surveys to track progress, measure knowledge and skills gained, and assess the program's overall impact.

The objectives of this project are as follows:

1. Support Indigenous Families to Grow Their Own Food and Medicine: This program will support 20 existing and 30 new Indigenous families in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island in growing their own food and medicine through the addition of five backyard gardens, a community garden, and a medicinal garden. Addressing the challenges of food and economic injustice, the program's primary goal is to equip families with the knowledge, skills, and infrastructure to achieve self-sufficiency. Combined, the family, community, and medicinal gardens will impact 50 families and an estimated 250 individuals.
2. Revitalize Connections to Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK): This project provides technical assistance and hands-on training to help tribal families reconnect with the land and apply Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in their gardening practices. These practices prioritize agro-ecosystem health through natural methods companion planting, organic (fish) fertilizers, and natural pest control. By tending these gardens, families strengthen their relationship with the land while also preserving cultural practices that are deeply tied to language, ceremonies, and community traditions. In addition to traditional gardening practice training, hands-on, collaborative learning sessions on a variety of topics will also be conducted.
3. Mentor the Next Generation of Indigenous Leaders: This project prioritizes training and mentorship to support new tribal leaders in building skills and knowledge in traditional gardening, land stewardship, and community-based agriculture. As part of the program expansion, two tribal members will learn from experienced mentor and program leader, Musquant Nompashim Netas. These staff members will receive training and serve in paid roles to support project activities, strengthening the program's long-term impact and fostering community ownership of its initiatives.
4. Strengthen Intertribal Relationships: The gardens offer a unique opportunity to foster trust and collaboration among the Pocasset Wampanoag, Narragansett, Pequot, and Eastern Pequot Tribal Communities. The Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust (PPLT) is committed to supporting all Indigenous Peoples in the Northeast, but regional divisions have historically hindered collaboration. By facilitating community gatherings and shared initiatives, we aim to strengthen relationships among these tribes, creating a foundation for mutual trust, cooperation, and solidarity.

The activities for this project are:

1. Recruit mentees and families (Summer 2025): Two new staff mentees will be recruited and trained by Senior Gardener, Musquant Nompashim Netas on all activities listed below. One staff member will be trained on backyard and community gardens and another will be support the medicinal garden site. Musquant Nompashim Netas and Principal Investigator, Chief Sequan Pijaki, Chairman of the Pocasset Wampanoags will conduct outreach among their respective tribal circles, social contacts, and networks to identify program candidates and potential mentees. If necessary, promotional content will be published on the PPLT website and social media platforms. PPLT staff will conduct interviews with potential candidate families to determine needs, challenges and commitment/interest level. Staff will travel to residences to survey the land availability for garden implementation.
2. Design and build gardens (Summer/Fall 2025): PPLT staff will visit each family's residence to determine the appropriate garden design. Supplies will be purchased, and garden plots will be prepared. If no land is available (apartments), raised garden beds (or some other solution) will be implemented. Typical garden sizes will be 100 ft², producing an estimated 50-100 lbs. of food each season. The community garden and medicinal garden will also be designed and built by PPLT staff. Families input and feedback will be integral to the design process for all gardens.
3. Winterize gardens (Fall 2025): In Autumn, gardens will be prepared for the winter weather using cover crops, fall crops, and compost. Raised garden beds may be covered completely with tarps or moved inside a garage or storage area.
4. Crop planning (Winter 2026): PPLT staff will work with families to develop a crop plan that details plant selection, garden layouts, and companion planting strategies for each garden for the 2026 growing season.
5. Prepare, plant, and manage gardens (Spring/Summer 2026): Using the crop plan, PPLT staff will train families in all aspects of garden preparation, planting, maintenance, care, and harvesting. The community garden site and medical garden site will be managed by PPLT staff, families will provide the bulk of the hands-on work. All produce and medicine will be distributed to tribal families.
6. Host harvest gathering (Fall 2026): PPLT Staff will host a harvest gathering in southern Rhode Island in the Fall of 2026 to bring participant families together to reflect on the program, review outcomes, and strengthen the Pequot, Eastern Pequot, Pocasset and Narragansett intertribal relationships.
7. Quarterly Reports: PPLT will generate quarterly reports to summarize and track program deliverables, budget, and schedule. Reports will include interviews with families to determine knowledge, skills gained, garden health, yields, family involvement, food consumption, and challenges with garden care. Data will be collected through interviews of family members by Musquant Nompashim Netas. Surveys, questionnaires, and other tools will be designed and used where necessary.

Table 1: Activities and Results Timeline