Tribal Nations often exist in some of the country’s most remote and rural areas. Because of this, Tribal investments and enterprises support greater opportunities for rural America to thrive and experience economic success. Tribal Nations spur rural job creation, support infrastructure development, and provide key community services that benefit Natives and non-Natives alike.

What is rural development?

Rural development encompasses areas such as business creation to infrastructure development and more, but at the heart, rural development supports thriving, healthy rural communities.

The Farm Bill sets programs, funding, and eligibility for USDA programs, with Title 6 dedicated to supporting rural communities through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDA-RD). This agency seeks to serve rural America by overseeing and managing these programs. For Tribal Nations in remote areas, USDA-RD can be a vital source of support.

Economic drivers

While Tribal gaming is the most well-known area of Tribal investments, Tribal enterprises are vast and varied. Tribes across the country employ creativity, leveraging resources available to ensure success. For many, that is in the way of land and, consequently, agriculture.

Tribal agriculture is a key player in the United States’ overall economy. According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, American Indian and Alaska Native producers accounted for just under $6.2 billion in total sales. These producers farm and ranch on 63 million acres of land throughout the United States.

The Quapaw Nation in northeastern Oklahoma has established a successful meat processing plant where the Tribe processes cattle and bison managed through the Tribe’s Quapaw Cattle Company. They can live and embrace a farm-to-table lifestyle because of these agricultural accomplishments, but these accomplishments do not just benefit their Tribal members. Meat processed at this plant feeds children within the local school systems and Tribal elders as well as the broader community.

Infrastructure support

Like the Quapaw Nation, the Osage Nation also owns and operates a meat processing facility. The Osage Nation also works closely with municipalities, such as Osage County and the City of Pawhuska, to invest in rural infrastructure development, such as roads, bridges, broadband, and even community healthcare.

Approximately 130 miles to the southwest of the Osage Nation, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN) invests in rural infrastructure through several means, including the Pottawatomie Country Rural Water District 3, which serves more than 1,300 customers across the county, including schools, homes, businesses, churches, and emergency services. CPN also oversees emergency dispatch for Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, except within City of Shawnee limits, and by installing cell towers within low-coverage areas of the Tribe’s jurisdiction, CPN helps ensure public safety for Natives and non-Natives alike.

These are just a few examples that exist highlighting Tribal Nation’s unique roles in supporting and driving rural economic and infrastructure development.

Next steps

When considering a rural development project, a good place to start is the USDA’s Resource Guide for American Indians & Alaska Natives, which lists more than 50 RD programs eligible to Tribal governments and organizations.  It features dozens of programs, loans, grants, and resources that facilitate starting a project or funding current operations.

Investments in Indian Country are investments in rural America, and Tribes and Tribal producers across the country have expressed the need for greater Tribal support within USDA-RD programs.

The Native Farm Bill Coalition provides a strong, united voice for Tribal priorities within the next Farm Bill, and the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) serves as the NFBC’s policy and research partner. As part of this role, IFAI and other NFBC partners traveled across the country to hear from Tribes and Tribal producers on how the next Farm Bill can better serve Indian Country. The NFBC published these findings in Gaining Ground.

Farm Bill priorities for the Rural Development Title within Gaining Ground include greater Tribal investments to support Tribal rural utility services, from wastewater to broadband, Tribal parity across all USDA-RD programs, and more.

According to the NFBC’s Gaining Ground, “The 2018 Farm Bill marked great progress for Indian Country in the Rural Development Title … but opportunities remain. Many Indian Country priorities elevated during the development of the last Farm Bill were not included in the final legislation. In addition, other opportunities in Title VI have become apparent in the time since the 2018 Farm Bill. These opportunities, both lingering and new, are pathways to empowering rural development in Indian Country that could be expanded or forged anew.”

Stay updated on the Farm Bill’s latest developments by accessing the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative’s resources here, and visit the Native Farm Bill Coalition’s website to learn how to get involved: nativefarmbill.com.

For Tribal Nations or staff interested in learning more about USDA-RD programs, email agpolicy@uark.edu.