2007 Annual Report for FNC06-596
Oyate Tawoju (People's Garden)
Summary
WORK ACTIVITIES
The work activities included: tilling the soil, planting, cultivating, and harvesting the garden produce. Also, marketing and harvesting garden produce to vend at the new local Farmer’s Market. We gave out samples of fresh picked carrots while vending. The community enjoyed tasting food harvested and marketed the same day. We donated yellow crookneck summer squash to the Fort Yates elderly nutrition program, SRST Diabetes program, and a local child care program’s lunch. Weeding the garden and harvesting the produce proved to be very time consuming.
The grant funds were used for labor and to purchase hoses, sprinklers, and a tiller. The five-acre garden plot was tilled by the SRST Conservation District Program.
Expenses included the following.
1. Labor/Tilling: Standing Rock Tribal Conservation District
2. Labor: Hand weeding the garden, harvesting produce, and vending. We grew Heirloom: carrots, beets, summer crookneck squash, and Hubbard winter squash.
3. Purchased a Tiller
4. Monica Skye B.A., in Environmental Studies/Sustainable Community Development: Data collection & report, made flyers, put flyers up, marketing, harvesting, helped vend and delivered donated squash.
Supplies
RESULTS
Our project kicked off by collaborating with the community Farmer’s Market’s Grand opening on July 13, 2007. A wonderful lunch made from local range-fed Buffalo was served at the well attended grand opening celebration. Venders sold locally harvested choke cherries, wild plums, ceyaka (a traditional tea) and other traditional Lakota food/medicines, hand made star quilts, antler art, jewelry, skin salves, herbal oils, jellies, salsas, local choke cherry syrups, canned vegetables, fruit pies, bison meat, bread, vegetables and more creative arts. Oyate Tawoju (People’s Garden) and the Farmer’s Market connects people, food, and local farmers and artists. This is an opportunity to create a more local economy too, by keeping money in the community. The market serves as a model to help people form a deeper connection with their food sources. This project is helping to build community and cut down on energy consumption because of the locally grown food. We are happy to introduce children at a young age to local traditional foods such as squash soup.
Through sustainable and traditional forms of gardening we are learning to become a self-sustaining community again. Not so long ago, this community was completely self-sufficient and healthy. With the vision of food sovereignty and food security, it is inspiring to learn from all community members involved. As the market grows and improves so will the health of the community. Knowing where your food comes from and meeting the people, who grow it, is a meaningful benefit of this project.
We learned that we need to mulch the garden with straw to reduce the amount of labor needed to keep the garden weed free. Harvesting produce before the Farmer’s Market proved to take longer than it would seem. Next season we need to improve our marketing techniques, and ways to preserve and extend the harvest and season. It is important to mulch plants to conserve precious water (Mni Wiconi-Water of Life).
WORK PLAN FOR 2008
1. We plan to mulch garden paths with straw bales to keep the weeds down naturally, and to add mulch.
2. Install a more reliable irrigation system. Such as drip systems to conserve water during drought conditions.
3. Order Heirloom seeds from Seed Savers Exchange, and Baker’s Creek www.rareseeds.com. We prefer to use Heirloom varieties so that we can save the seeds and create a Northern Plains Seed bank.
4. Possibly create a perennial garden spot with culinary and medicinal plant varieties. Establish an orchard of Heirloom fruit trees and berries.
5. Purchase a scale for weighing market produce at the OyateTowaju Farmer’s market.
6. Possibly tour other organic and sustainable farms.
7. Invite (T.N.A.F.A) the Traditional Native American Farmer’s Association to teach about sustainable farming practices.
8. Invite certified Permaculturists to present about the philosophy of Permaculture and teach hands-on techniques.
9. Dehydrate squash for soup in the winter. Research value-added products that are nutritious.
10. Follow companion planting techniques to attract beneficial insects.
11. We will use natural fertilizers such as: aged and rotted horse manure, comfrey biological tea, worm castings, fish emulsion, or manure tea, instead of synthetic chemicals. Our aim is to use traditional Native American Farming techniques that enrich the soil and benefit the earth. Our produce will be organically grown, with out the certification.
12. We need to learn more about: composting, double digging, biodynamic agriculture, and attracting bees for pollination.
13. Extend the growing season with green houses/hoop houses.
OUTREACH
1. We vended at the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s Conservation District’s Community Farmer’s Market July–October 2007. Approximately 100 or more people attended the grand opening on July 13, 2007.
2. Our local community radio station KLND K-Lakota, Nakota, Dakota, included the Farmer’s Market as a public service announcement. (KLND of Little Eagle, SD reaches listeners as far as Mandan, ND and parts of Bismarck, ND.)
The Teton Times, a local newspaper featured an article on the front page about the Community Farmer’s market and advertised the market almost weekly.
3. We vended at the new Sioux County Fair coordinated by the Sioux County Extension service. Approximately 50-100 people attended throughout the day.
4. We frequently put flyers up around Fort Yates, ND to advertise about the Farmer’s Market.
5. Next year we will continue to collaborate with: The SRST Conservation District’s Farmer’s Market, Sioux County Extension, KLND, The Teton Times Newspaper, Standing Rock Diabetes Program, and Elderly Nutrition Program.
6. Perhaps, we will host a hands-on workshop about Dry land Permaculture and sustainable farming techniques.
7. Have a sign in sheet at our table while vending.
8. Donate Hubbard Squash to the Standing Rock Middle School for their lunches.
9. We will continue to build local food networks.
10. Eventually this project could become a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Community members could sign up to receive a box of in-season produce every week.