LOCAL PARTNER: NAFSA- Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance/Indigenous Seed Keepers Network (ISKN)
The goals of this project are to work with a wide variety of Native American tribal elders, community members, and youth, to “train the mentors” on using their new Seed Sovereignty Assessment Tool to increase food security and the retention of traditional knowledge and practices at the community level.
Trainer/Mentor Role is to engage with indigenous community members to strengthen their facilitative, teaching and mentorship skills as it relates to community-based seed sovereignty efforts and seed production.
We will be providing sustained engagement and mentorship support beyond the initial training through a series of tools; yearly gatherings, monthly calls within the cohort of trained mentors, and continued access to educational resources developed through the Indigenous Seedkeepers Network. The program is led by a powerful Mohawk woman with support from Native men and women.
Nearly 100 people participated and were impacted by our Seed Sovereignty assessment trainings. We
have inspired and uplifted the hopeful stories from the Indigenous Seed Rematriation Movement.
We have supported Indigenous Seed Growing capacity building through supportive mentorship and
guidance. And, over 490 people registered for our Seed Mother : Coming Home film launch! Our well
received film launch highlights the importance of this movement, how our work may positively influence
others to build momentum, and gives us a hopeful glimpse of what is possible in the months and years
ahead as we continue to reunite people and plants.
Local Partner:
The SeedKeepers Network is a network of hundreds of grassroots Native Americans concerned with Native seeds and foods. It is connected to tribal, regional, national, and international groups such as Slow Food, Indigenous Terra Madre.
NAFSA is a relatively new organization that emerged from over a decade of grassroots Native American activism and advocacy for Native American farmers, seed keepers, hunters, fishers, chefs, and educators. Their flagship program is the Indigenous SeedKeepers Network.
