FEEDING OURSELVES When were strong in our foods on this continent we - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

FEEDING OURSELVES “When were strong in our foods on this continent we were strong people-we were healthier. And for Indigenous peoples it all starts with the food. When Indian Country lost its ability to feed itself, through whatever means, we lost that part of ourselves that support our ability to thrive. It is only by regaining our foods will we be able to restore our health, our resilience as people and secure the stability and diversification within our communities and local economies. But the challenges to secure that future require different approaches than those used in other communities …if for no other reason than our languages, cultural traditions, and the unique legal status of our communities.” - Janie Hipp (Chickasaw), Indigenous Food and Agriculture Project

FEEDING OURSELVES Food Access, Health Disparities, and the Pathways to Healthy Native American Communities

FEEDING OURSELVES Food Access, Health Disparities, and the Pathways to Healthy Native American Communities Commissioned by the American Heart Association & Voices for Healthy Kids Download Executive Summary and Report at: www.echohawkconsulting.com FEEDING OURSELVES serves as a call to action for tribal leaders, key stakeholders in Native American agriculture, food, policy and health, by providing overviews of failed federal policies, the current climate of Native American food and health and recommendations for stakeholders to capitalize on short-term opportunities as well supporting strategies for long-term change. Key Stakeholders: Goals: • • Tribes Inform key stakeholders of Native health disparities, and ties to policy, poverty, historical • Grassroots Activists trauma and food systems • Philanthropic Organizations • Create space for partnerships with tribal • Health Experts communities addressing health disparities • Policymakers through traditional food access through innovative solutions

FEEDING OURSELVES Echo Hawk Consulting • Echo Hawk Consulting offers expert consulting services in: philanthropic giving, community development, executive leadership, fundraising, program design, analysis, public relations and marketing to tribes, grantmakers, nonprofit organizations, businesses and philanthropic individuals focused on opportunities for impact, strategic growth and social change. Echo Hawk Consulting is a committed and strategic advocate for the health, well-being, social and economic development and rights of Tribes and Native American children and families Authors • Crystal Echo Hawk (Pawnee) President and CEO • Janie Hipp (Chickasaw), Director Indigenous Food and Agriculture Project, University of Arkansas School of Law • Wilson Pipestem (Otoe Missouria/Osage), Founder Pipestem Law and Ietan Consulting

FEEDING OURSELVES Food Access, Health Disparities, and the Pathways to Healthy Native American Communities • What are the food access issues in Indian Country? • What are the root causes? • How does food access, food systems and food sovereignty relate to the health of Native Americans? • What are the solutions?

Food Deserts in Indian Country Today Healthy food access in Tribal communities is frequently difficult, given that virtually ALL of Indian Country resides within a “food desert” as defined by USDA . Food security depends on access to grocery stores within ten miles. This map illustrates food deserts, where retail grocery stores are more than ten miles away.

Poverty & Indian Country Today Of the ten poorest counties in the United States, eight are located entirely within Indian reservations or have reservations within them, or have 90% or more Native population within the county. 28.4% of Native peoples lived in poverty in 2010, while the corresponding rate is 15.3% for the nation as a whole.

The Impact of Colonization & U.S. Federal Indian Policies On Native Food, Diet & Health • Colonization and the evolution of US. Federal Indian policy, Native peoples have been forcibly separated from historical lands and traditional sources of food. • The impact of this has manifested itself in the bodies of Native peoples-today the highest rates of health disparities, especially from diet-related diseases. • Separation from healthy foods has been one of the most serious health problems Native peoples endure. • The epidemics of obesity and diabetes in Native children and communities are direct consequences of limited access to healthy food. • Poverty, inequality, the lack of access to capital, and a myriad of complex bureaucratic barriers undermine current capacities of Native communities to reestablish strong and vibrant food systems.

Indian Country by the Numbers • 5.2 million or 1.7% of the population • Native population grew 27% since 2000 census compared to 9.7% of all other U.S. population • 60,000 American Indians in Minnesota or 1.2% of the population • Tribally diverse urban American Indian population, numbering well over 35,000 in the eleven County Minneapolis-St. Paul metro areas • 1 in 4 live in poverty and of the 10 poorest counties in the U.S., eight are located on reservations. • Over 30% live in overcrowded housing conditions • 1 in 3 drop out of high school • Poverty is not countered by Indian Gaming. Only 23 casinos nationwide are deemed highly successful.

Impact of Food Insecurity • American Indians have the highest food insecurity rates in the United States. American Indian households with children had a food insecurity rate of 28% compared to a rate of 16% for non-American Indians. • Compared to all other US ethnic groups, the diet and activity patterns of American Indians have changed dramatically in the past three generations. • Changes are rooted in both historical and ecological events. Traditional foods have been replaced by less diverse, high fat, processed commodities and convenience foods.

FEEDING OURSELVES Food Access and Its Relationship to Diet and Health Outcomes • Food systems are a major factor in generating and exacerbating key health disparities-especially in poor & communities of color. • Health disparities are driven by the complex interplay of community factors like access to healthy and affordable food, poverty and social, economic, and political forces that impact food supply, nutrient quality, and affordability. • Diet of Poverty: Members of poor households in which it is consistently hard to afford enough high-quality food end up eating nutritionally risky diets • Less expensive, energy-dense foods typically have lower nutritional quality and, because of overconsumption of calories, have been linked to obesity which is the primary contributor to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Health Disparities in Indian Country High poverty levels and lack of access to healthy food both contribute to health disparities in Tribal communities. There are a number of other factors that contribute to these health disparities, including: lack of basic infrastructure, low education attainment, poverty, and historical trauma. • Native peoples are twice as likely as the rest of U.S. to develop nutrition-related health problems • Childhood obesity rates often exceed 50% in tribal communities • Trends indicate 1 out of 2 American Indian children will develop type 2 diabetes • Type 2 Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in Indian Country • Native children as young as 4 years old are being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes-average lifespan 25 years • Native Americans lag 20-25 years behind the general population in health status, representing the most severe unmet healthcare needs of any group in the U.S.

Paradox: Indian Country Food and Ag • Ag Census: • $3b annual market value • Evenly divided between livestock and all other • 58k+ American Indian farmers operating 45,000 farms on 53 million acres of land. • Most of the value of that product leaves the lands and communities and doesn’t return • Largest contiguous farm in the US; top 10 farms in SD, AZ, NM, OR, WA, CA, ID, etc. are tribal farms • 80% of Native producers live in 7 states: Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, Montana and South Dakota • Potential to increase Indian Country Food production enormous but a myriad of barriers including lack of access to capital, land, bureaucracy • Yet the majority of “food dollars” spent on reservations leave and are spent in off-reservation stores. Lack of access to food production and vendors on reservation.

Federal Feeding Programs • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves 540,000 identifying only American Indian/Alaska Native and an additional 260,000 identifying as AI/AN and white. • Estimated 20% AI households use SNAP • 77,000-80,000 use the Food Distribution Program (“Commodity” or FDPIR Program) • USDA Food and Nutrition Service has Congressional authority for over 10 years to purchase traditional and healthy foods for these programs but has largely refused until recently. Bison recently approved. • Growing movement and call for tribes to take over management of FDPIR and other federal feeding programs serving their people and to build the capacity of local, Native producers to provide healthy, traditional, local foods for these programs to improve health, tribal economies and food sovereignty.