The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) at the University of Arkansas School of Law recently welcomed its tenth class of Native Youth in Food and Agriculture Leadership Summit participants to the University of Arkansas campus. Nearly 40 Native Youth travelled from across the United States for the opportunity to engage in professional and educational development and gain first-hand exposure with Tribal food and agriculture.  

The Youth Summit allows participants to dive deeper into their interests and develop real-world solutions, highlighted through a capstone project. IFAI invites Summit alumni, friends, family, guardians, supporters, and more to attend this year’s presentations and celebration ceremony virtually, beginning at 8:45 a.m. central on Monday, July 22, 2024. Sign up for a reminder email and link access here: bit.ly/10YRLVSTRM.   

Investing in the Next Generation 

IFAI began the Native Youth in Food and Agriculture Leadership Summit 10 years ago to invest in the next generation of Indian Country food and agricultural leaders. Through the past decade, the program has helped equip more than 500 youth participants with the skills and experience necessary to succeed. 

“We would not be able to host such a robust, amazing event each year without the generosity of our partners and supporters, including the Intertribal Agriculture Council, Native American Agriculture Fund, Newman’s Own Foundation, the Farm Credit system, and USDA – NIFA,” said Summer Rae Wilkie (Cherokee Nation), IFAI’s next generation manager. 

Agricultural policy and production areas covered during Youth Summit include: agricultural business and finance, land stewardship and conservation, agricultural law and policy, nutrition and health, and recently added, animal science.  

“One way we’re celebrating our tenth anniversary is by adding a new track, which is animal science,” Wilkie said. “The five different tracks provide the youth with the chance to develop more knowledge and experience within the vibrant and varied areas of Tribal food and agriculture.”   

Highlights of the week include tours of Quapaw Nation’s food and agriculture endeavors. Participants learned how the Tribe saves seeds, plants, employs conservation efforts, supports pollinator habitats, and helps feed the community through its garden. After tours of the garden, the youth enjoyed lunch served at the Quapaw Nation’s Farmers Market & Food Hub. Before ending the tour day at the Quapaw Nation’s O-Gah-Pah Coffee, the Tribe’s environmental scientist, Summer King, led an insightful tour of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tar Creek Superfund site.   

“The Quapaw Nation’s remediation work with the Tar Creek Superfund site is a great example of how Native Nations invest in their land and their people,” Wilkie said. “Environmental degradation is a threat to their security, but the Quapaw Nation is using agriculture as part of the process to restore land. We are grateful for the Quapaw Nation for hosting us and for their time and investment in our participants through the insightful tours of their innovative food sovereignty initiatives as well as conservation and land remediation successes.”  

On Saturday, July 20, participants will attend the Fayetteville Farmers Market to procure local ingredients to prepare on Sunday, July 21, alongside esteemed Native chefs and activists, Mackee Bancroft and Denisa Livingston. The chefs will help the youth craft a meal made completely out of Native-produce and local ingredients, emphasizing gratitude for traditional foods and encouraging positive experiences preparing and enjoying food. 

“Thanks to the Newsman’s Own Foundation, participants will all receive a box of traditional and Native-produced ingredients to their homes so that they can bring back some of the knowledge gained from their day in the kitchen with Chefs Mackee and Denisa and create meals at home,” Wilkie said. 

IFAI’s co-founder, Janie Simms Hipp, will help celebrate the culmination of this year’s Youth Summit as the keynote speaker for the celebration and graduation ceremony set to occur on July 22. 

“The youth that come through this program have inspiring and thoughtful capstone projects, and we are looking forward to the chance to share this year’s youth presentations with friends, supporters, family, and community members across the country through our livestream,” Wilkie said.  

Join the livestream beginning at 8:45 a.m. on Monday, July 22, to capture the capstone presentations and graduation. Sign up for a reminder email and link access here: bit.ly/10YRLVSTRM. 

Learn more about the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative’s youth programming at indigenousfoodandag.com/youth-programs/.