On September 10, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Chairman Cole Miller and Intertribal Agriculture Council CEO Kari Jo Lawrence, co-chairs of the Native Farm Bill Coalition (NFBC), sent a letter to Congress on behalf of the NFBC and more than 150 undersigned Tribes and intertribal and Native organizations. The letter urged the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture committees to pass a Farm Bill this year. It asked members of Congress to reengage in negotiations on the bill and ensure that efforts to provide Tribes more authority to exercise food sovereignty remain a top priority.
“Many Native communities rely on the Farm Bill to address the legacy of barriers to developing Indian Country’s agriculture sector. Our communities throughout Indian Country face challenges that are unique to lands under Tribal jurisdiction. Barriers like credit access, multi-agency approvals, and USDA programs regarding Tribal trust lands, including environmental assessments and cultural surveys, continue to hamper progress.”
The letter also pushed Congress to give Tribes 638 Authority to administer federal nutrition programs like the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) and Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) in the wake of the ongoing USDA food delivery crisis.
“We hope that the House and Senate Agriculture committees use the 2024 Farm Bill to ensure USDA moves to a regional warehouse model and reimburses Tribes for any funds they have used from either their general fund or other programs, such as the Local Food Purchase Agreement (LFPA), to purchase food. … The FDPIR and CSFP warehouse crisis is the latest example of why Congress should give Tribes the Pub.L. 93-638 authority to administer FDPIR and CSFP. We know Tribes can administer these programs far more reliably, efficiently, and cost effectively than USDA.”
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