Putting Tribal Sovereignty in Food Sovereignty
In July 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a sweeping reorganization plan that could significantly affect Tribal governments, producers, and service delivery across Indian Country. The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) has...
In a recent feature by Fields of Possibility, Kelli Case (Chickasaw Nation), Senior Staff Attorney at the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI), shared insights on the intersection of Tribal food sovereignty and organic agriculture. “We’re not just talking...
In the summer of 2024, the Chickasaw and Cherokee Nations led impactful implementations of the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (Summer EBT) Program, a federal nutrition program designed to reduce food insecurity among children during the summer months when school...
In a recent column for the Tulsa World, IFAI Executive Director Carly Griffith Hotvedt (Cherokee Nation) highlighted the expanding economic footprint of Tribal Nations across Oklahoma. The piece underscored how Tribal governments are driving growth through strategic...
Coming soon: IFAI will be releasing an analysis of the proposed USDA reorganization and its potential impact on Indian Country food systems and agricultural production. USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is seeking public comments on the Special Milk Program for...
Growing Potential: Voices from the 11th Annual Native Youth in Agriculture Summit Each summer, the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) hosts a transformative event that brings together Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian youth from across...
On Wednesday, the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee will review the USDA reorganization proposal that was dropped at the end of last week. IFAI is working on an analysis of the proposed reorganization and potential impact on Indian Country food...
As IFAI enters its 13th year of serving Indian Country our Executive Director, Carly Griffith Hotvedt (Cherokee Nation) has a message for all of our stakeholders. When you think of the next generation of Native agriculturalists, who comes to mind? While we work to...
IFAI is back to policy briefs after a one-week hiatus following our annual Tribal Youth Summit. We have updated Congressional notes from the last two weeks, including Senate Appropriations hearing on FY2026 USDA-FDA funding, Senate Indian Affairs nomination...
No IFAI Policy Brief next week, July 14. IFAI staff will be engaged in the 11th annual Tribal Youth Summit. Read more about the Summit here. A Federal Register notice this week has a call for comments by July 30 on an interim final rule that removes several USDA...