Claire Allsion - Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative

Putting Tribal Sovereignty
in Food Sovereignty

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Brenton Jones

Claire Allsion

Strategic Programs Manager
cja008@uark.edu

534 W. Research Center Blvd,
Suite 219
Fayetteville, AR 72701

ifai@uark.edu
(479) 575-5666
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Policy Updates Archive

We are excited to announce that the Native Youth i

We are excited to announce that the Native Youth in Food and Agriculture Leadership Summit applications are now officially open!🦬🌻🐓 This is an incredible opportunity for any Native Youth between the ages of 18-24. The Summit will occur July 9-17 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. All travel and lodging expenses will be covered for those accepted. Don't miss out! Make sure to turn in your application by the deadline on March 20, 2026.

Applications are available on our website indigenousfoodandag.com under "Youth Programs"
https://indigenousfoodandag.com/youth-programs/#leadership-summit

#nativeyouth #agriculture #Summit

We are excited to announce that the Native Youth i

We are excited to announce that the Native Youth in Food and Agriculture Leadership Summit applications open next Monday, January 12! This is an incredible opportunity for any Native Youth between the ages of 18–24. The Summit will occur July 9–17 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. All travel and lodging will be covered for those accepted.

#summit #nativeyouth #agriculture

The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IF

The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) entered 2025 in a moment of significant change across Indian Country. Our team worked closely with Tribes across all regions, providing one-on-one technical assistance and supporting a wide range of Tribally led food sovereignty efforts. We continued to serve as Indian Country’s trusted agricultural law and policy resources tracking, analyzing, and explaining an unprecedented volume of federal policy changes affecting Tribal food and agriculture operations. We delivered food safety training to Tribal producers and food businesses, offered legal and policy research tailored to community needs, and traveled across the country to meet with stakeholders and policymakers at the Tribal, federal, and state levels.

We encourage you to check out the full report showcasing all of the work we have done this year and the momentum pushing us into the new year. You can find our Annual Report on our website indigenousfoodandag.com (link in bio)
#annualreport #2025

🌲 Weekly Policy Brief Highlights 🌲 🔹Last week, US

🌲 Weekly Policy Brief Highlights 🌲

🔹Last week, USDA’s Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC) held its final meeting of 2025 during the Intertribal Agriculture Council’s (IAC) Annual Conference in Las Vegas, NV. The various TAC subcommittees provided a recap of their activities and priorities. TAC members and those in attendance raised concerns and offered recommendations and comments to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) representatives.

🔹The FDPIR Tribal Leaders Consultation Work Group also held its final government-to-government consultation of the year with USDA at IAC’s Annual Conference. Tribal leaders wanted to ensure the availability of food supplies in times of crisis going forward, particularly for smaller tribes and those located in remote areas. The public comment period for this consultation will remain open until January 9, 2026.

🔹The IFAI Policy Brief is taking a brief Holiday break. IFAI will be out celebrating the holidays from Wednesday, December 24 through Monday, January 5. Happy Holidays from IFAI!

To read the full brief visit our website indigenousfoodandag.com
#USDA #happyholidays #FDPIR #IAC #TAC

Listen to the latest episode of the 🎙Rooted Wisdom

Listen to the latest episode of the 🎙Rooted Wisdom Podcast🎙 out today! You can find it available on spotify or on our website indigenousfoodandag.com

#rootedwisdom #podcast #agriculture #indigenous #UARK

❄️ Weekly Policy Brief Highlights ❄️ 🔹There are n

❄️ Weekly Policy Brief Highlights ❄️

🔹There are no Congressional hearings relevant to Tribal food and agriculture this week.

🔹The FDPIR Tribal Leaders Consultation Work Group will hold its final government-to-government consultation of the year with USDA during the Intertribal Agriculture Council’s Annual Conference on Dec. 10, 2025, from 2-6 PM PST. Participants must register by Dec. 9. Tribal leaders wishing to designate a proxy should do so ahead of time using the proxy template letter posted on the USDA Office of Tribal Relations website.

🔹IFAI is hosting an informational briefing session ahead of the FDPIR Tribal consultation on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at 2 PM CST.

🔹The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC) will hold its final meeting of the year on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, from 9 AM to 5PM PST.

🔹Two Federal Register notices this week include a final rule on Expanding Access to Risk Protection (EARP) and a NOFA for credit assistance.

🔹The IFAI Policy Brief is taking a brief break! IFAI will not publish a Policy Brief next week, Dec. 8, while our staff are attending the Intertribal Agriculture Council’s Annual Conference in Las Vegas, NV.

Check out the full brief at indigenousfoodandag.com
#policybrief #FDPIR #USDA #Tribalag

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