INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK

This Indigenous Food Sovereignty Program works to create a local/regional food system that is just, green, local and affordable for all. We accomplish these goals through the development of community education on growing, preserving and preparing healthy food, including wild and traditional Native foods; through the formation of partnerships with the non-Native food growers to build cooperation, share resources and build community, with a focus on bridging racial gaps in our area to improve the local food system and food sovereignty and security for all. IEN with support of Bemidji State University conducted a regional food shed map to identify food growers, farmer markets, fisher people, hunters, gatherers and harvesters, such as wild ricers and maple sugar processors. The formation of a Food Sovereignty Council was initiated as a mechanism towards developing a local/regional food sovereignty plan.

This program is developing popular education and organizing regional seminars and trainings with tribal leadership to join a Native-based campaign for new legal and governance structures that recognizes harmony between humans and nature and not an endless growth model. Mother Earth and her natural resources cannot sustain the consumption and production needs of this modern industrialized society. The narrative is that monetary pricing on Nature, and privatization of Nature, creates new derivative markets that will only increase inequality and increase the destruction of Mother Earth. The protection of traditional plants, seeds and Native trees/forests is part of this initiative, starting with the IEN Campaign to Stop GE-Trees.

This program supports the administrative operations of IEN, with staffing of the Executive Director; Office Manager/Bookeeping; Program Developer; Media/Communications Coordinator; Secretarial and other support staff and services.