Intertribal Agricultural Council

Intertribal Agricultural Council
Name	Intertribal Agricultural Council
Formation	1987
Type	Nonprofit
Headquarters	Pendleton, Oregon
Region served	United States

Intertribal Agricultural Council The Intertribal Agricultural Council is a nonprofit organization formed to support tribal agriculture and natural resource management across Native American nations, incorporating traditional practices and federal policy engagement. It works with tribal leaders, tribal colleges, federal agencies, and nonprofit partners to advance agricultural development, food sovereignty, and ecological stewardship on reservations and tribal communities. The Council collaborates with a range of Indigenous, state, and national institutions to provide technical assistance, training, and advocacy related to farming, ranching, forestry, and fisheries.

History

The organization was established in 1987 amid a period of increased tribal activism linked to the American Indian Movement, the Native American Rights Fund, and broader Indigenous policy shifts such as the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act and the Indian Reorganization Act legacy. Early convenings included representatives from the Navajo Nation, Cherokee Nation, Oglala Sioux Tribe, and Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, alongside partners like the United States Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and tribal extension programs at land-grant institutions. Over the decades the Council intersected with initiatives from the National Congress of American Indians, the All Indian Pueblo Council, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, and the Alaska Federation of Natives, while engaging with programs under the Food and Nutrition Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and cooperative extension networks at institutions such as Oregon State University and New Mexico State University.

Mission and Objectives

The Council's mission centers on promoting agricultural development, food security, and cultural resource management among Indigenous nations, aligning with goals set by entities like the United States Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for tribal consultation. Objectives include advancing capacity building with tribal colleges such as Dine College, Salish Kootenai College, and Haskell Indian Nations University, supporting policy advocacy with organizations like the Native American Rights Fund and Native American Agriculture Fund, and fostering collaborations with philanthropic institutions including the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. The Council emphasizes traditional ecological knowledge shared by leaders such as Winona LaDuke, Vernon Masayesva, and LaDonna Harris while working within statutory frameworks like the Farm Bill and the Endangered Species Act where relevant to tribal lands.

Programs and Services

Programs focus on technical assistance, youth education, mentor-apprentice models, emergency response, and market development, engaging agencies such as the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, Tribal Climate Resilience Program, and the Emergency Food Assistance Program. Services include training delivered in partnership with Cooperative Extension units at the University of Arizona, University of New Mexico, Montana State University, and Tuskegee University, and workforce development tied to programs at the Indian Health Service and Bureau of Indian Education. The Council sponsors workshops on sustainable grazing, irrigation, seed sovereignty, and value-added production, drawing on expertise from institutions like the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, the Heifer Foundation, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. It organizes conferences that attract representatives from the Smithsonian Institution, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Library of Congress, and the United States Botanical Garden.

Governance and Membership

Governance is structured around a board of directors composed of tribal agricultural officers, ranchers, farmers, and Indigenous educators from nations including the Lakota, Hopi, Pueblo, Choctaw, and Tlingit, reflecting ties to intertribal organizations like the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona and the Great Plains Tribal Leaders’ Executive Committee. Membership spans tribal governments, tribal enterprises, tribal colleges, and urban Indian agricultural initiatives, coordinated with registries maintained by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and collaborative networks such as the Tribal Technical Advisory Committee. The Council liaises with legislative bodies including the United States Congress, Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and House Natural Resources Committee when advocating for tribal priorities in appropriations and regulatory rulemaking.

Partnerships and Funding

The Council secures funding and partnerships from federal sources including the United States Department of Agriculture programs like the Office of Tribal Relations, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Rural Development program, and grants administered through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. It also partners with philanthropic organizations and foundations such as the Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and Native American Agriculture Fund, and collaborates with nonprofit partners including the First Nations Development Institute, Oxfam America, and Feeding America. International linkages have included exchanges with the Food and Agriculture Organization, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, while legal and policy support has come from law clinics at Yale Law School, Stanford Law School, and the University of New Mexico School of Law.

Impact and Notable Projects

Notable projects include tribal food system assessments conducted with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, seed restoration initiatives alongside the Native Seed Network and Seed Savers Exchange, and grazing management pilots with the Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land. The Council contributed to drought resilience projects referenced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and collaborated on wildfire mitigation efforts with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. Youth-focused programs have partnered with 4-H, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium, while market development efforts linked producers to cooperative marketing platforms like the National Cooperative Business Association and Farmers Market Coalition. Recognition for impact has been noted in reports by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and academic studies from Harvard Kennedy School and Cornell University.

Category:Native American organizations