Tribes Hope Farm Bill Can Feed More People and Preserve Indigenous Culture

Tribes hope Farm Bill can feed more people and preserve Indigenous culture

HOPKINTON, R.I. (AP) — At Ashawaug Farm in southwest Rhode Island, Dawn and Cassius Spears preserve their Indigenous knowledge of agriculture through the cultivation and keeping of three Narragansett heritage crops: white corn, succotash beans and crookneck squash.

New England tribes hope Farm Bill can feed more people and preserve Indigenous culture

The Trump administration has cut or significantly scaled back federal food assistance, including to programs that tribes have used to distribute culturally-significant foods produced locally. Some legislators are working to reinstate programs as part of the Farm Bill that would help state and tribal governments purchase local food.