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Training and Outreach for Native Women in Agriculture - n/a Enterprise & Agriculture United States 2006 - 2009 USDA |
A New Organization Helps Native Women in Agriculture
RATIONALEIn recent years, organizations addressing the needs of women in agriculture have been established throughout the United States and internationally. None, however, specifically targeted Native American women in North America. In 2004, the United States Department of Agriculture provided initial funding for a new Native Women in Agriculture (NWIA) network, aimed at Native American women involved in agriculture and in small business pursuits in rural communities. This development acknowledged Native women as a separate and distinct, as well as culturally significant, population group.
NWIA was incorporated as a nonprofit group in Oklahoma, and plans to move forward in creation of a North American and ultimately hemispheric presence on behalf of Native women regarding agriculture issues. NWIA is poised to become a powerful voice and an educational platform for women involved in agricultural pursuits, in small businesses in rural areas of Indian country, and in enterprises that are agriculturally dependent.
OBJECTIVES
This Winrock-supported project is designed to help NWIA with its objectives, including establishment of eight regional offices serving intertribal Native women and youth agriculture and small businesses needs; establishment of two headquarters—one in the Billings, Montana, area serving the north and west and one in Oklahoma serving the south and east; identification of NWIA by intertribal organizations as a leading voice on Native Agriculture concerns; establishment of an educational training and support schedule focusing on the needs of Native women and youth throughout Indian Country; establishment of relationships with other Native agriculture-based organizations throughout the Western Hemisphere; and continuation and strengthening of Native Youth Agricultural Ambassadors programs and establishing that program as a separate but joined mission area, culminating in an Indian Youth in Agriculture summit in 2008-2009.
ACTIVITIES
During the two-year project, NWIA will focus on providing grassroots education, training outreach, and strategic planning, and will conduct meetings in eight regions: Pacific, Alaska, Northwest and Rocky Mountains, Great Plains and Midwest, Mid-South and Southern Plains, East (Upper and Lower), and Four Corners. NWIA also will conduct at least one full day of education and training on key business growth and production issues and business management concerns related to Native women and their agricultural operations. The eight sessions will be conducted in months 7-18 of the project, with months 1-6 spent in dissemination of information, and months 19-24 spent in evaluation and follow-up.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
NWIA's Steering Committee has identified the following focus areas for networking, support, educational opportunities and initiatives: promotion of education and training for Native women and youth; food systems; culture and cultural preservation; health connections and family strengthening; viability and sustainability; recognition of the role of Native women within their tribal governments and communities; risk assessment; and business assistance.
Ultimately, each of these areas will have a body of literature, resources, education, and training that can be used in one-on-one meetings, group presentations, and provision of written literature.