Alaska FAQs – Farm Bill Roundtables 2021-2022

Responses came from attendees of three roundtables held in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau throughout 2021-22. Roundtable attendees were a mix of individual producers, Alaska Native government officials, Alaska Native Corporation (ANC) staff as well as consortium members from the state’s various food and agriculture industries. 

FAQs:  

Question:

Are there resources or information for Tribes or individual producers for fishing, fisheries or seafood processing programs they can access or learn more about? 

Answer to meeting attendees: 

• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a number of funding opportunities that are currently open.
• The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program is available for commodities not covered by crop insurance. It specifically lists crops, such as aquaculture, as coverable. In addition, beginning, limited resource, socially disadvantaged and qualifying veteran farmers or ranchers are eligible for a waiver of the service fee and a 50 percent premium reduction. 

Question/Comment:

Tribal and Alaska Village communities want direct service from federal programs as opposed to going through the state or local governments.

Answer to meeting attendees: 

• The request for full self-governance authority in USDA is a priority for the Native Farm Bill Coalition. 638 pilot projects in forestry and local sourcing of food distribution programs have been a success, but the NFBC is requesting full self-governance authority across the whole of USDA, including the establishment of an office of self government. 

Question:

Why is there such a lack of transparency from federal agencies — specifically USDA — on how much money is available and how it is being distributed? Is there a way Native Alaska organizations could understand this funding and provide input?

Answer to meeting attendees: 

• There is a precedent for the federal government and its various departments to consult with Tribes and Alaska Native Communities on budgetary issues impacting their communities. The Native Farm Bill Coalition has called on Congress to mandate that USDA enter into official consultations with Tribes and Alaska Native communities concerning budget annual budget requests for programs in the Department.  

Question/Comment:

Are there means to allow Alaska’s unique legal circumstances for its Indigenous communities to better access USDA programs? Currently, there is no specific enabling provision around access for consortiums here, and existing food systems here do not align with USDA definitions, leaving our communities out.

Answer to meeting attendees: 

• Alaska Natives’ unique circumstances are a challenge for many communities when it comes to USDA, and the NFBC continues to encourage Congress to give additional flexibility to the Department to allow it to work with Indigenous communities at the local level. This includes amending the current law to require consultation with Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. There is also a push to open more education funding opportunities for Alaska Native-serving institutions. 

Question/Comment:

For Alaska, there is only one NRCS Tribal liaison for a state with more than 200 federally recognized Tribes and communities. Where can these communities get more support on using USDA programs?

Answer to meeting attendees: 

• Staffing remains a challenge for positions across the Department, even when funding is available. This is especially true in a state as large and remote as Alaska, where transportation to support federally recognized communities remains difficult in the best circumstances.
• Allowing Alaska Native communities to manage and staff programs at the local level is a true show of respect for Tribal sovereignty and honors the federal trust responsibility. Gaining Ground calls for “638” self-governance provisions across a breadth of USDA programs. 
• For individual producers, Organizations like the Intertribal Agriculture Council are at the forefront of helping Tribal citizens navigate these programs and have technical assistance specialists available across the country. For Tribal and Alaska Native Village governments, the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative has staff experienced in supporting these entities establish agriculture and land management departments to fully utilize USDA programs.  
• The NFBC has also called for fully funding of the Federally Recognized Tribal Extension Program (FRTEP) in the next Farm Bill. FRTEP agents are limited across the country, but if fully funded, can assist producers with direct, on-the-ground technical assistance that understands the unique challenges Alaska Native producers deal with.   

Question/Comment:

Many Alaska producers are subsistence farmers or are individuals who engage in traditional gathering/hunting practices. They often do not know how to access USDA programs or that they are eligible for support.  Is there an opportunity to better inform them of their status and access to USDA resources?

Answer to meeting attendees: 

• Some USDA programs use different definitions for common terms that should be broadly applied across the Department to improve service. Consistent definitions across the Department would result in consistent program access within programs run by a single agency. This has been a critical ask by the NFBC. 
• For some producers from Alaska Native communities, subsistence or gathering agriculture is the norm. Many of these individuals do not believe they qualify as “producers” eligible for USDA support. However, in programs like the Natural Conservation Resource Service, “there’s no minimum agricultural income requirement or agricultural product value requirement for determining land and/or producer eligibility. People who produce food, fiber, livestock, or other agricultural products solely to provide for their families, friends, neighbors, and/or communities, and who do not sell, market, or distribute their products may be eligible for EQIP.” 
• For individual producers, organizations like the Intertribal Agriculture Council are at the forefront of helping Tribal citizens navigate these programs and have technical assistance.  

Click the button below to see an infographic snapshot of issues raised and marker bills introduced in anticipation for the next Farm Bill.