First Nations Toolkit
The First Nations Development Institute’s Food Sovereignty Assessment Tool (Bell-Sheeter, Segrest, A-dae Romero, & Foxworth, 2014) is designed to help Tribal communities understand their food environment. The tool contains a number of exercises and questions that can provide a baseline assessment of needs for a Tribal community as they relate to food sovereignty, health, food environment, and cultural values. The exercises and questions are easily adaptable for focus groups, open community discussions, and surveys. The College of Menominee Nation relied on this tool when developing a community definition of Menominee food sovereignty. The First Nations Development Institute’s The Business of Indian Agriculture Participant Guide (Phillips, 2018) is designed for Tribal communities that are ready to venture into agribusiness operations. However, this guide is important for Tribes that are just stepping into Indigenous agriculture, as it provides grounding information on business plans, return on investment for specific crops, and how to manage a business. While the College of Menominee Nation is not seeking to develop a business, this guide has been helpful in community and partner discussions where Indigenous agriculture and business ventures are being explored. Tribal and community values are important considerations when exploring business ventures.
Who decides what foods are available in your community (at the grocery store, delivered by the commodities program, etc.)?
Why and how have agriculture and food traditions have been lost in your community?
Why and how have agriculture and food traditions have been lost in your community?
References: Bell-Sheeter, A., Segrest, V., A-dae Romero, V., & Foxworth, R. (2014). Food sovereignty assessment tool (2nd Edition). Retrieved from https://www.firstnations.org/publications/food-sovereignty-assessment-tool-2nd-edition/
Phillips, J. (2018). The business of Indian agriculture. Retrieved from https://www.firstnations.org/publications/the- business-of-indian-agriculture/
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