Oneida youth participate in the Annual Husking Bee, a community event where sacred white corn is harvested and dried using traditional methods. (Photo: Oneida Nation)
"Food sovereignty, to us, is being self-sustaining so that we can continue [on for] seven generations."
– Jesse Padron, Food Service Director, Oneida Nation School System
Confronted with catastrophic rates of diabetes and obesity among its peopel, the Oneida Nation created the Oneida Community Intergrated Food Systems (OCIFS) initiative to coordinate its efforts to restore its land and waters for food production, enabling it to sustainable provide local, healthy foods to its people. Investing in a full-time OCIFS coordinator tasked with maximizing the impact of existing reosurces and synergixing Oneida's long-range food-based initiatives, the Nation has greatly expanded its ability to reclaim its sovereignty over the food systems upon which it relies, improving the health of its members in the process.
CONNECT:
Ø William Ver Voort, Coordinator, Oneida Community Integrated Food Systems, Oneida Nation, 920-819-1933, wvervoor@oneidanation.org
To learn more about the Oneida Nation’s food sovereignty approach, click on the case study and related resources below.
Note: Development of this case study was supported by a grant from the Native American Agriculture Fast Track Fund. Fast Track funding was part of the settlement of the Keepseagle v. Vilsack national class action lawsuit, which also led to the creation of the Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF), the largest philanthropic entity supporting Native American farmers and ranchers through grants that focus on business assistance, technical support, and agricultural education, and advocacy.
Food Sovereignty: ONEIDA NATION