Native Farm Bill Coalition Relaunches Advocacy for Indian Country's 2023 Farm Bill Priorities

To ensure that Indian Country continues the important work of addressing food insecurity, increasing opportunities for tribal producers and strengthening regional tribal food economies, the Native Farm Bill Coalition (the Coalition) has relaunched its efforts to engage Congress as it shapes the 2023 Farm Bill.

Native Farm Bill Coalition

For decades before 2018, tribes and tribal organizations were largely left out of previous Farm Bill efforts to address food insecurity, support farmers and producers, and make investments in critical infrastructure in rural America. To change this, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community's Seeds of Native Health campaign – in collaboration with the Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC), the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) – established the Coalition in 2017 to improve dietary health and food access in Indian Country. More than 170 tribes, tribal organizations and allies joined the Coalition in a strong, united chorus of voices advancing a 2018 Native Farm Bill agenda of benefit to all of Indian Country.

2018 Farm Bill was a Historic Win for Indian Country

The Coalition's efforts yielded a bountiful harvest of historic proportions. The Coalition secured 63 provisions benefiting Indian Country – from expanding tribal self-governance authority to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), to providing parity for tribal producers, reducing barriers to the implementation of tribal food and nutrition programs, establishing tribal priorities in competitive grant programs, investing in Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and much more.

Preparing for the 2023 Farm Bill

To continue advocating for tribal priorities not included in the 2018 Farm Bill, the Coalition has relaunched its advocacy efforts and is in the process of canvassing Indian Country to hear directly from tribal leaders and producers on their priorities, which will be highlighted in the Coalition's report and included in recommendations to the House Agriculture Committee, Senate Agriculture Committee, House Subcommittee on Indigenous Peoples and Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. To ensure each tribe's priorities are represented, consider participating in an upcoming Coalition event near you or submit written comments to the Coalition on or before April 1, 2022. All written comments should be submitted to Lexie Holden and Erin Parker.

To learn more about the Coalition or how to participate in upcoming Coalition events, email the authors at Kayla Gebeck Carroll or Philip Baker-Shenk.

Information contained in this alert is for the general education and knowledge of our readers. It is not designed to be, and should not be used as, the sole source of information when analyzing and resolving a legal problem, and it should not be substituted for legal advice, which relies on a specific factual analysis. Moreover, the laws of each jurisdiction are different and are constantly changing. This information is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. If you have specific questions regarding a particular fact situation, we urge you to consult the authors of this publication, your Holland & Knight representative or other competent legal counsel.