Sustainable Agricultural Workshop Series for Tribal Educators

Sustainable Agricultural Workshop Series for Tribal Educators

Summary

2015 activities under the SARE PDP grant reached approximately 300 Tribal agricultural educators through multiple events.  The Great Lakes Intertribal Food Summit at Oneida was the keystone event, with additional events at the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and the MOSES Organic Farming Conference, as well as smaller events at Bad River, Gun Lake Pottawatomi, and Lac Courte Oreilles.

Additional outreach events varied in their exact format and scope, but each addressed important topics for Tribal agricultural educators.  The MOSES Organic Farming Conference moved beyond scholarships in 2015 to include an exhibit booth, sponsored by the Intertribal Agriculture Council, with opportunity for Tribal educators to share their successes while interacting with the general MOSES audience.  Tribal educators also met as a group to discussion common challenges and success strategies.

The Intertribal Agriculture Council also used a small portion of SARE PDP funds to partner with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in hosting a Gathering of Native Americans (GONA) event focused on use of traditional tobacco with an emphasis on strategies for expanding food production and preparation.  In addition to Minnesota and Wisconsin educators, this event drew an expanded audience from North and South Dakota.

The Great Lakes Intertribal Food Summit was the highlight of 2015 SARE PDP activities.  Drawing over 125 Tribal educators, this regional food summit was an evaluation of the Food Sovereignty Summits, putting the focus back on regional agricultural education, outreach, and networking.

Great Lakes Intertribal Food Summit at Oneida

Smaller events included included community food events at Bad River and Gun Lake Pottawatomi, and a larger Local Food Producer Summit at Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal College.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Objectives and performance targets were met in terms of the number of Tribal educators (300) reached and the number of connections with non-Tribal educators and extension staff that were facilitated, which is conservatively estimated at thirty for 2015.  While the major Great Lakes Intertribal Food Summit was the primary focus of financial and staff planning resources, the targeted number of four annual events was also met.

Accomplishments/Milestones

Among the many accomplishments of 2015 SARE PDP, the Great Lakes Intertribal Food Summit at Oneida stands out as a milestone event.  Over 125 Tribal educators from across the region convened at Oneida in northeast Wisconsin to learn about educational strategies and methods for improved teaching and agricultural production.  Oneida’s Tsyunhehkwa farm hosted the first of the event’s three days with an interactive series of hands-on agricultural activities, including seed starting, soil health, and grazing management.  Delivery of chicks was even coordinated for this day, giving participants the opportunity to help settle the baby birds into their new home.

This Great Lakes Intertribal Food Summit, an outgrowth of previous regional and national Food Sovereignty Summits, also featured two days of workshops, panels, and presentations on a variety of Tribal agricultural and food topics.  Notably, the event brought three prominent American Indian chefs, Arlie Doxtator, Loretta Barrett Oden, and Sean Sherman, together to prepare an amazing Indigenous menu.

Positive feedback from this event was phenomenal, with the hands-on agricultural sessions and culinary aspects standing out as unique components compared to most similar events.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

Performance targets in the form of number of participants or even followup evaluation matrixes are relatively easy to quantify.  Much more difficult to measure is the long-term impact of coordinated grants such as this SARE PDP.  However, the impact of the events supported by this funding is increasingly evident in cooperative efforts like the emerging Indigenous Seed Keeping Network, the growing Native culinary movement, and a gradual shift in the organization of major outreach events.  These events are not only some of the largest within the Great Lakes American Indian agricultural sector, but have started having a broader impact in reaching Tribal educators from other regions as well.

Collaborators: