RETURNING TO OUR ROOTS: REBUILDING NATIVE FARMING TRADITIONS AND FOOD SOVEREIGNTY FOR GREAT LAKES INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Tribal nations across the US are working towards revitalizing their Indigenous foodways which were disrupted by the colonization of the North American continent, leading to the loss of resilient, climate-smartfood systems that provided nutritious and culturally important foods to Indigenous communities. Today, Indigenous communities across the U.S. are rebuilding food sovereignty with traditional climate-smart agricultural practices and reclaiming food systems that restore community and economic health (Mihesuan and Hoover, 2019). These efforts provide a critical opportunity to build local and regional food supply chains, support economic development, and transform food systems so that they are more equitable, sustainable, and resilient to crises like COVID-19 and climate change.In the Great Lakes Region, the Great Lakes Intertribal Food Coalition (GLIFC), is working toward their vision of "a vibrant food system that will provide nutritious and culturally appropriate foods for people that need it and to support the economic development of indigenous and local food producers." The University of Wisconsin-Madison, GLIFC, the Wisconsin Tribal Conservation Advisory Council (WTCAC), and the Menominee Nation will partner on a transdisciplinary project in support of that vision, with the long-term goal of scaling climate-smart Indigenous food production and regional food supply chains that foster nutrition, health, and food security and sovereignty in Indigenous communities.Specific goals include: developing an asset map of Indigenous food systems in the Great Lakes Region; researching production methods in climate-smart Indigenous crop-livestock systems and evaluating their impacts on soil health and carbon sequestration; researchingharvest and storage methods for Indigenous maize varieties; providing technical support, workforce development, and economic analysis for supply chain optimization and meat processing; providing nutrition education, mentoring Indigenous nutrition professionals, and exploring ways to work with policymakers to institutionalize "Food is Medicine"; and working with current and future Indigenous food systems leaders to develop and provide appropriate extension and education programs on Indigenous food systems.