The Native Farm Bill Coalition has released a new report with more than 150 suggestions on improving agricultural opportunities in Indian Country ahead of negotiations over the 2023 Farm Bill.

The report, titled “Gaining Ground: A Report on the 2018 Farm Bill Successes for Indian Country and Opportunities for 2023,” is authored by Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative executive director Erin Parker and associate director Carly Hotvedt. The report was funded by the Native American Agriculture Fund, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, and MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger.

Amid myriad suggestions for climate-smart farming and rural development support, Gaining Ground’s policies run the gamut from improving loan accessibility through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expanding and enshrining self-determination policies for food distribution and marketing.

Parker told a press gathering last Tuesday that the 2018 Farm Bill was a major advance for Native agriculture. The coalition has aspirations for a similar surge in 2023’s Farm Bill by building on those successes.

“This new report reinforces that Indian Country’s relationship with the Farm Bill has always been complex,” Parker said. “As we saw in the 2018 Farm Bill, this significant legislation has numerous opportunities for Indian Country agriculture, including a strong acknowledgment of tribal sovereignty and the power of tribal governments to express that sovereignty in the space of food and agriculture for the benefit of their citizens, producers and communities.”

Original Article Posted In Tribal Business News