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INVESTIGATOR: Blumhagen, S.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
FOUNDATION FOR AGRICULTURAL AND RURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
301 5TH AVE SE
MEDINA, NORTH DAKOTA 58467

PLANTING SEEDS FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY: DEVELOPING CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE FARMER EDUCATION WITH THE SPIRIT LAKE NATION

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The Foundation for Agriculture and Rural Resources Management and Sustainability (FARRMS) and Cankdeska Cikana Community College (CCCC) with partners from the Northern Plains Resource Conservation and Development Council (NP RC&DC) and ND Local Food Development Alliance (NDLFDA) will explore ways to expand beginning farmer education in northeast ND and adapt FARRMS' Farm Beginnings® course and associated beginning farmer education programs to incorporate Dakota culture and language. We will explore the development of curriculum and programs to improve production skills and increase understanding of food sovereignty and local food systems by CCCC students and Spirit Lake Community members. We will also expand beginning farmer training in the ten county region of northeast ND. By educating beginning farmers we will increase access to locally produced, healthy, culturally appropriate food on the Spirit Lake Reservation, a food desert.

OBJECTIVES: Objectives and Outcomes:FARRMS, CCCC Land Grant Program, NP RC&DC and NDLFDA will create new agricultural enterprises in northeast ND, create food sovereignty with the Spirit Lake Nation and strengthen North Dakota's local food systems through the following activities:Develop an implementation plan for beginning farmer training in NE ND. This plan will be used to secure grant funding and guide the implementation phase of the project.Determine the feasibility of a Food Sovereignty Certificate program at CCCC.Identify modules for adaptation and specific adaptations that can be made to FARRMS' Farm Beginnings® course to incorporate the Dakota culture and language.FARRMS and CCCC staff will travel to Farm Beginnings® Collaborative meetings and the Upper Sioux Community in MN to learn about similar projects adapting Farm Beginnings® to Dakota culture and language.Utilize NP RC&D Council's connections to recruit aspiring and beginning farmers for FARRMS' Farm Beginnings® programIdentify needs and topics of interest to beginning farmers in NE ND. Identify resources to add these topics to FARRMS' curriculum.Increase membership and engagement in NDLFDA.Collaborate to host a NE ND Local Food Summit. This summit will be the culmination of a year of planning work. The implementation plan will be presented. The summit will serve asan additional opportunity to assess beginning farmers' needs and recruit new beginning farmers.The outcomes of these activities will likely be realized after the 12 month project period. We anticipate...50% increase in annual participation in beginning farmer training. FARRMS' baseline is currently 30 per year.100% increase in annual number of new farms and ag enterprises established. FARRMS' baseline is currently 12 per year.33% increase in membership of NDLFDA. Currently there are 41 members.We also expect that after the project is implemented the CCCC Land Grant Program participants will report...Increased agriculture production skillsIncreased understanding of food sovereignty and local food systems