By Justin Whitmore
Michigan State University (MSU) professor Krista Isaacs and Iowa State University (ISU) professor Christina Gish Hill are working with Native communities to establish seed-saving spaces and provide agricultural training for Native farmers to maintain high-quality, sustainable seed systems.
The Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) awarded a $250,000 grant to Gish Hill and Isaacs to design and develop spaces that increase Native communities’ ability to produce sufficient seed for their farms and other Indigenous networks. It will also offer resources for those interested in establishing seed businesses. The project will run through 2027.
The project builds on a Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education (SARE) project, launched in 2024 to support Native communities as they work to increase seed sovereignty through the rematriation of Native seed and selection for historical and desirable traits.
Isaacs and Gish Hill partner with The Center for Rural Affairs (CFRA) and Nebraska Indian Community College (NICC) to provide access and resources for a range of users, from small gardeners to large-scale farmers. Increased seed production will support food and seed sovereignty and develop agricultural networks for members of the Omaha, Ponca, Santee Sioux, and Winnebago tribes.
Source : msu.edu