Knowledge is Power

• The Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF) is a national, community-based organization serving American Indian nations and people in the recovery and control of their rightful homelands. The ILTF works to promote education, increase cultural awareness, create economic opportunity, and reform the legal and administrative systems that prevent Indian people from owning and controlling reservation lands.
• Among other things, the ILTF provides a growing list of free publications that can be accessed at Indian Land Tenure Foundation.

• The Native Land Project at Montana State University is an applied research initiative that works alongside Indigenous partners to document and generate research on indigenous land and planning that is useful to planners and others working on issues in the interest of First Peoples in the Northern Rockies region.
• Find more information at Native Land Project and at Piikani Lodge Health Institute at Piikani Lodge.

• Introductory Language: The Blackfeet Nation and Montana State University Native Land Project research partners are working together to create visuals (‘landowner roadmaps’ or process guides) around individual trust land management processes such as land exchange, rights-of-way, gift deeding, fee-to-trust, and probate. These are intended as guides for landowners and others engaged in trust land management. They are also being used to help identify the economic costs related to the individual landowner’s or producer’s negotiation of each process (especially as compared to similar processes on fee land). In addition, they are intended to support the Blackfeet Tribe, BIA and community-based organizations in identifying gaps and duplications in processes where procedural adjustments might help to increase efficiencies. Finally, the maps and accompanying research provide decision support should a Nation wish to identify areas where new tribal policies could supplant federal regulations and eventually reduce production costs for landowners by simplifying processes.
• Images found here: Land Owner Road Maps PDFs

• Huu-ay-aht First Nations Stategic Plan
• Huu-ay-aht First Nations developed a plan to connect their past work to their present by defining strategic goals and sacred principles. Those characterizations had led their decision-making in language and culture, infrastructure, natural resources, citizen as well as economic development. Example initiatives are built from the communities defined objectives and goals.

• This handout acts as a resource directory for food sovereignty and production for any tribal nation. It has a list of grant, loan, and technical assistant programs. Funding priority criteria is given, application dates and other details to decide if a program is right for you.
• National Congress of American Indians

• Economic Development Opportunities in the 2018 Farm Bill
  • This document provides a digestible overview of the Farm Bill by highlighting the economic opportunities in the policy and related grant opportunities. See Economic Opportunities in the 2018 Farm Bill
  • Opportunities to Expect in the 2023 Farm Bill Opportunities to Expect in the 2023 Farm Bill

The Native Farm Bill Coalition was formed in 2017 as a coordinated effort to advocate for federal food, agriculture, and nutrition policy through successive Farm Bills. The Farm Bill is a collection of legislative policies focused on federal and nutritional titles that are renewed every five years. Among other things, this is an overview of how these new policies may present challenges and opportunities in Indian Country. See Native Farm Bill Coalition

• 2022 Native Farm Bill Coalition Gaining Ground Report
  The Native Farm Bill Coalition has released Gaining Ground: A Report on the 2018 Farm Bill Successes for Indian Country and Opportunities for 2023. The report argues for significant progress to be made in strengthening Tribal sovereignty, food security and rural infrastructure.
  2022 Native Farm Bill Coalition Gaining Ground Report

“The EchoHawk Report” The EchoHawk Report

• The scope of the report is focused primarily on Tribal (rural and reservation) food access and health issues. Feeding Ourselves encourages its readers to take the first step toward a solution – becoming aware of the extent of the problem of Native health disparities and its deep interconnections to U.S. Indian policy, poverty, historical trauma and food systems. This includes building awareness of the complex historic and present-day situations of Native peoples, innovative models, and how systemic and long-term changes may be supported by policy changes at the tribal, federal, and philanthropic levels.

• USDA MAP: Food Deserts in MT
• Sometimes visualizing something helps us understand the magnitude of it. The United States Department of Agriculture developed a map that shows the distribution of low-income citizens that have limited access to food stores with healthy affordable options. The recognized food deserts are divided into groups based on distance and vehicle access.

• This short handout defines the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FIDPIR) – an alternative to SNAP meant for rural tribal nations communities. The demographic of people who benefit from this policy, what foods – including traditional foods – are provided, and snap eligibility detail.
• Food Distribution Programs in Indian Country

• Child Nutrition Programs in Indian Country
  • The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative developed a brief factsheet on the different child nutrition and grant programs in Indian Country, how many are eligible and number of past recipients, and grants awarded by state.
  • Child Nutrition Programs in Indian Country

• Indigenous Foods Toolkit
  • Offers palatable history on traditional foods used by Montana Tribes, meal pattern instructions, crediting in school system food buying guides, and menu planning for school systems.
  • Indigenous Foods Toolkit

• Native Farm to School Resource Guide
  • A curriculum to incorporate local foods into school systems.
  • Native Farm to School Resource Guide

• Child Nutrition Programs and Traditional Foods
  • The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) understands the importance of serving traditional foods and encourages Indian Tribal Organizations, along with all operators of CNPs, to source locally grown and raised food
  • Policy Memo TA 01-2015

• Service of Traditional Foods in Public Facilities
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration to allow the donation to and serving of traditional food through food service programs at public facilities and nonprofit facilities, including those operated by Indian tribes and facilities operated by tribal organizations, that primarily serve Indians
  • Policy Memo SP42 CACFP19 SFSP21-2015

• Procurement of Local Meat, Poultry, Game, and Eggs in Child Nutrition Programs
  • The USDA issued a memorandum that details the regulatory requirements related to food safety and answer specific questions related to these products with a series of questions and answers included as an attachment.
  • Policy Memo SP01 CACFP01 SFSP01-2016

• Holland and Knight
  • Holland & Knight’s Native American Law Team specialize in legal and public policy in Indian country. They have represented clients in tribal sovereignty that includes renewable energy, environment and natural resources, tribal governance, business under tribal law, and much more.
  • Holland & Knight Native American Law

• Indigenous Food and Agriculture
  • A compiled list of treaties, statutes, regulations, pertaining to food systems and agriculture in Indian Country.
  • Indigenous Food and Agriculture

• Thinking about developing your own Nation’s food code? This model, developed by the University of Arkansas Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative, will guide you through steps to empower your own Nation’s sovereign food system.
• The Model Food and Agriculture Code Project

• An overview of the Protein Supply Chain in Indian Country from First Nations Development Institute An overview of the Protein Supply Chain in Indian Country from First Nations Development Institute
• Beginners Guide to Local Meat Processing
  • What is Local Meat Processing?
  • What are the Rules?
  • Small Plant Economics
  • New Plant Checklist
• Creating a Tribal Action Plan for a Fairer, More Competitive and More Resilient Meat and Poultry Supply Chain, Tribal Leader Briefing from the Indigenous Food & Agriculture Institute in collaboration with the Intertribal Agriculture Council, including information on developing a processing facility and an overview of related USDA grant programs Creating a Tribal Action Plan for a Fairer, More Competitive and More Resilient Meat and Poultry Supply Chai
• Niche Meat Processor Case Studies
• Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network has several case studies that detail the business models, plant designs, regulation hurdles, and more. Diverse models give insight into operational costs, profits, weekly capacity, history and more to help you as you develop a plan for your own meat processing operation. Niche Meat Processor Case Studies
• Technical Assistance Program for Meat & Poultry Processing Capacity from the Intertribal Agriculture Council: Technical Assistance Program for Meat & Poultry Processing Capacity from the Intertribal Agriculture Council

• Montana is the fourth largest state and home to eight Tribal Nations. Much of the state is rural, which has a direct effect on access to reliable, healthy food. This study locates grocery stores in and around Montana Tribal Nations, their distribution systems, supply-chain obstacles, and pricing design. It offers new alternatives to improve the stores’ sustainability by identifying new partnerships and distribution centers. See Montana Food Distribution Study

• This advocacy guide is developed to help individuals learn the basics of policy advocacy in food sovereignty. This includes the current food sovereignty objectives in Blackfeet Nation, policy safety laws, policy solutions, how bills are passed, funding, congress members that can sponsor bills, and more.
• Policy and Advocacy Guide for Food Sovereignty and Food Security in Blackfeet Country

• The Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic developed a legal toolkit for local food policy councils and local food advocates. It’s meant to address policy areas that can create change in your local system. This includes, general legal setting, food system infrastructure, land use planning, urban agriculture, consumer access and demand, procurement, school food and nutrition education, and finally, decreasing, and recovering waste food.
• Putting Local Food Policy to Work in Our Communities

• Insights from Case Examples and a Survey of Native Communities’ Food Access During COVID-19, Native American Agriculture Fund, https://nativeamericanagriculturefund.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Reimagining-Hunger-Responses-in-Times-of-Crisis.pdf
• There is a large gap between the factors that affect food insecurity in Indian Country and the resources to fill them. This was only highlighted during the COVID-19 crisis, when Tribal governments and Native-led organizations stepped into action ahead of the government to provide food to families that needed it. The NAAF Food Access Survey reports the disparities COVID brought to the forefront, how the government fell short of support, and how Native producers and Native community-based organizations filled those gaps. Recommendations for federal infrastructure, nutrition programs and data collection are given as prompts to restructure Native food economies.

• Introduction: The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), is a federal program that prioritizes access to traditional and fresh foods for Native Communities. This document breaks down who can readily access these resources, the specific foods supplied, policy changes, and program use rates over the years. SNAP program participation rates are provided for comparison. See Traditional Foods in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations

• A complied list of legal resources for food, agriculture, and land use by tribal nations.
• Tribal Government Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resource Directory

• The Intertribal Agricultural Council offers a concentrated page of resources including aid in disaster relief, inventory calculators, drought research, hay exchange, and feed alternatives. This changing world presents new challenges every day that force farmers to make difficult decisions – a section of mental health resources are provided to promote wellness in farmers
• Disaster Resources for Farmers

• This manual is designed to be approachable and focus on real world problems Native farmers face today. Whether you are just starting your ranching journey or fully operational, hoping to strengthen your returns. The guide helps you determine where you’re currently at, assess management costs, and make financial decisions that will shape your operation. Accessing income, expenses, and financial statements to managing credit, and record keeping.
• Financial Management Guide for Cattle Ranchers

• National Indian Carbon Coalition is a non-profit that helps tribal nations and native landowners develop carbon credits and generate sustainable income. They offer training and development assistance for carbon credits. The credits can be applied to farmland, serve to protect tribal land and ownership, as well as cycle profits into tribal nations’ economies.
• Developing Clean energy on Tribal Land

• The Montana Climate Assessment looks at historical variability, past trends, and current projections of climate change impact in Montana. These Subjects include Montana’s Climate impacts on water, forests, and agriculture.
• Montana Climate Assessment

• Tribal Carbon Credits are a Trust Resource

• This drought map provides a weekly drought summary for each region of the states, what we can expect in the upcoming week, downloadable maps, and datasets in GIS formats.
• Drought Monitor Map

• Pasture map is a digital application that allows you to set up your fields, system, and herd size. You can divide land into several areas to plan and track your grazing patterns, place objects and details onto the map. Grazing, forage, and rest days and dry matter history are available as data layers. The data captures rain fall year to date.  This software program is a way to maximize your time, reduce hay cost and regenerate your land.
• Pastureland Map

• SoilWeb is a public database developed by California soil resource lab that shows detailed soil survey data that lists soil types and series classifications. Their interactive Google map allows you to identify the profile of your soil.
• SoilWeb