The Native Farm Bill Coalition (NFBC) is pushing to ensure Native Americans and Indigenous groups have a seat at the table in negotiations for the next Farm Bill. Their top priorities focus on increasing access to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs by explicitly including Tribal Nations and Native producers in the provisions and reducing legislative and bureaucratic barriers.
The Farm Bill, is a comprehensive collection of policy related to food and agricultural issues. It also contains key provisions for conservation, rural development, food assistance programs and many issues especially relevant for Native Americans. The Farm Bill is passed roughly every five years, with the previous Farm Bill originally slated to expire in 2023. But the Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024, extended the 2018 Farm Bill until September 30, 2024.
In 2017, the Intertribal Agriculture Council, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, the Indigenous Food & Agriculture Initiative, and the National Congress of American Indians created the NFBC. The Coalition’s goal was to advocate for Native American producers and Tribal governments in negotiations for the 2018 Farm Bill. In 2018, the Coalition successfully advocated for 63 provisions that benefit Tribal Nations and Native producers.
In the 2018 Farm Bill, provisions increased food security, market access, and resource access for Native Americans, Tribes, and Tribal organizations. These include progress that allowed for Tribes and Tribal organizations to receive agricultural disaster assistance and qualify for conservation programs and rural development programs, increased inclusion of traditional food in food access programs, and increased funding for Tribal Colleges and Native students.
In Gaining Ground: A Report on the 2018 Farm Bill Successes for Indian Country and Opportunities for 2023, the NFBC wrote that this progress was unprecedented and made groundbreaking strides for Native communities. The provisions increase market opportunities for Native producers, prioritize Tribal voices, recognize Tribal sovereignty through increased Tribal parity, and allow Tribal self-determination in USDA programs.
“The successes from our efforts during the 2018 Farm Bill … underscore the value and collective strength of Tribal Nations and Native producers in accomplishing meaningful policy change for Native agriculture,” a spokesperson from the NFBC tells Food Tank.
Since successfully influencing the 2018 Farm Bill, the NFBC has held Tribal roundtable meetings around the country to build momentum and include more voices in conversations about the next Farm Bill.
The Coalition’s spokesperson says they hope to build on progress made in 2018.
The NFBC’s top priorities are “to support Tribal sovereignty in food systems and continue to improve Tribal parity across the [USDA’s] many programs,” the spokesperson says.
Despite the NFBC’s advocacy for further progress in the upcoming Farm Bill, the current extension keeps existing programs active, but does not allow the Bill to be updated. The NFBC spokesperson tells Food Tank that progress towards the new Farm Bill is essential.
“While important wins were included in the 2018 Farm Bill, our Coalition partners have identified several ways to improve USDA programs for Indian Country and many rural communities where our members are located,” the spokesperson says. “They want to build on that momentum and improve on the success they are experiencing. This is why Congress must move expeditiously to enact the next Farm Bill, not just extend it.”
Despite a push to pass a new Farm Bill from groups like the Coalition, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not identified the Bill as a legislative priority. During the extension period, the NFBC says they have been and will continue to meet with lawmakers to advocate for Tribal priorities in the Bill.
One concrete goal the NFBC has is to ensure Tribes are specifically included in eligibility requirements for more USDA programs and to remove regulatory and bureaucratic barriers in USDA programs and resources.
“Just like any other American producer, Native farmers and ranchers seek capital borrowed at fair terms to support their operations and want to manage their lands and natural resources so that they continue to be healthy and support future generations. But Native producers face unique delays and barriers in using USDA programs that the Farm Bill can address.” An NFBC spokesperson tells Food Tank.
In an executive order in December 2023, President Joe Biden acknowledged the unique needs and barriers for Tribal Nations to access federal resources.
“Federal funding and support programs that are the backbone of Federal support for Tribal self-determination are too often administered in ways that leave Tribal Nations unduly burdened and frustrated with bureaucratic processes,” Biden writes. He continues, “While Tribal Nations continue to rebuild, grow, and thrive, some Tribal Nations do not have the capacity and resources they need to access Federal funds—and even for those that do, having to repeatedly navigate Federal processes often unnecessarily drains those resources.”
The NFBC spokesperson says that while different Tribal Nations and Native producers may have different desires for the Farm Bill, a united coalition helps to identify and advocate for shared priorities.
“Indian Country is too diverse to be all things for all people when it comes to the Farm Bill, but there are many areas where Tribes—regardless of location—experience the same barriers in USDA programs that can be improved,” the NFBC spokesperson tells Food Tank.
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Photo courtesy of Federico Respini, Unsplash
