The Native American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS) is a Minneapolis-based organization that helps tribal communities develop the infrastructure necessary to implement and support a range of Indigenous food production. Today, only 3% of food markets and 1% of restaurants in the United States are owned and operated by Indigenous peoples. Food insecurity, a reliance on non-traditional foods, and under-representation in food systems have contributed to disproportionately high rates of diabetes, obesity, and early death amongst Indigenous peoples. NCGrowth has completed an Indigenous Food Systems Report to help NATIFS establish an Indigenous food lab in North Carolina.
The Indigenous Food Systems Report answers a series of questions: (1) What defines an amateur and commercial forager, how can each be identified, and how can amateur foragers transition to the commercial space? (2) What are traditional and Indigenous foodways? (3) What is permaculture and what are its applications to the project? The report also includes a database of Indigenous and minority foragers, agribusinesses, and restaurants in North Carolina.
Read the report here, https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/39248c2a96a14d61826d602289a09287
NATIFS will use the report to guide their expansion in North Carolina and the Southeast. The database will help NATIFS to find Indigenous and minority agribusinesses to collaborate with in the creation of a NC Indigenous food hub. Overall, this project will lead to new economic opportunities for minority business owners in NC by providing them with resources needed to expand their businesses and products to new consumers. Additionally, this project will support the decolonization of Indigenous food systems.
Working on this project had a positive impact on Ashton Clouer, the NCGrowth analyst and master’s degree candidate at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. The work has contributed to her desire to pursue a career in sustainable food systems and helped her foster relationships with food systems professionals.
