Putting Tribal Sovereignty
in Food Sovereignty
The "Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) Strategy Report, released by the White House in September 2025, outlines a comprehensive national initiative aimed at reducing rates of childhood chronic disease in the United States. The report identifies four primary areas of...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are currently considering whether to define “ultra processed foods” (UPFs) and how that definition could be used in food labeling, nutrition programs, and dietary guidelines. The...
What happens when a scholar trades syllabi for soil? In this episode of Rooted Wisdom, we explore the inspiring journey of Dr. Christie Poitra, a former academic who followed her heart (and her roots) into the world of specialty crop farming in the Great Lakes region....
On September 13, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would hold two Tribal consultations to allow input and comment on the proposed departmental reorganization. The outline of the proposed reorganization was laid out in the July 2025 Secretarial Memorandum...
Deadline to apply is December 5, 2025. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced the opening of its FY2026 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program, offering up to $18 million in funding to support local food systems and agricultural education in schools...
Senate Indian Affairs Co-Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is requesting comments from the public by September 12, 2025, on a discussion draft for “The Native Children’s Commission Implementation Act of 2025.” As noted in Senator Murkowski’s section-by-section breakdown,...
Welcome back to Rooted Wisdom! In this episode, we dive deep into a fascinating and often overlooked intersection of art, agriculture, and cultural representation. Our guest, Dr. Browning Neddeau, is an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and a professor...
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act will have impacts on federal food and nutrition policies for Tribal Nations, producers, and citizens. This law consolidates a wide range of provisions that reshape how food access, agricultural support and nutrition education are funded...
On July 10, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an end to certain uses of the “socially disadvantaged” producer designation. In a final rule published in the Federal Register, the department explained it would “no longer employ the race- and...
In the latest episode of “Rooted Wisdom,” Executive Director of Akiptan, Skya Ducheneaux, joins the podcast to discuss how Community Development Financial Institutions, or CDFIs, are reshaping access to capital in Indian Country. Ducheneaux, a member of the Cheyenne...