Resources for Indigenous Farmers
Concepts like “regenerative agriculture” or “crop rotation» are popular practices for the modern farmer, however these ideas are not new. Groups of Indigenous people invented and refined these techniques hundreds of years ago. Despite this history, Indigenous farmers today make up only 250 out of more than 33,000 total farms in New York State. Indigenous communities across New York and the United States have continually been disenfranchised and disposed of their land while others, like land grant institutions, have benefitted. Cornell University, for example, is located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫɁ (the Cayuga Nation). In compiling these resources, we acknowledge the painful history of Gayogo̱hó:nǫɁ dispossession, and honor the ongoing connection of Gayogo̱hó:nǫɁ people, past and present, to these lands and waters.
For Indigenous farmers, there are a variety of state and national organizations and resources below:
Farmland for a New Generation NY’s Traditional Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Healing– revitalizes and preserves Traditional Indigenous culture to create sustainable communities across NYS.
Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance
Indigenous Seed Keepers Network
Ambrook’s List of Agricultural Funding Opportunities for Native Americans
Northeast Farmers of Color Network
Native Farm to School Funding Opportunity
North American Traditional Food Systems
Intertribal Agriculture Council
First Nations Development Institute
Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative
