The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced Wednesday an investment of nearly $7 million for projects at Tribal Colleges and Institutions that support Tribal students and their communities.
The Tribal College Research Grant Program helps colleges in the 1994 Land-grant University System become centers of scientific inquiry and learning for remote and rural reservation communities.
"This funding supports crucial, innovative research projects at Tribal-serving Colleges and Universities to address the specific needs of their communities," said NIFA Director Dr. Carrie Castille. "The research projects focus on high-priority areas such as protecting reservation forests or monitoring water quality to promote sustainability and climate-smart agriculture and forestry on Tribal lands. Other projects aim to ensure food and nutrition security and support healthy Tribal populations through improving bison herd productivity, uncovering the ways traditional plants can impact diabetes, or controlling invasive species."
Examples of the 10 funded awards for Tribal College Research Grant Program, totaling $4,298,438, include:
- Forth Berthold Community College's two projects: "Trauma-focused Equine-assisted Learning (TF-EAL) Integration into Equine Students Curricula" ($95,000) and "TCU Missouri River Basin Consortium" ($220,000).
The equine project was submitted by Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College (NHSC), under the Capacity Building Research Project, with an Applied Faculty/Community focus. This project is clearly a "skillful adaptation of existing knowledge to address unique community needs requiring a culturally sensitive approach". Specifically, it is evaluating the feasibility of implementing Trauma-Focused strategies into an existing Agriculture Academic Department utilizing a more culturally appropriate and trauma-focused model of education delivery to address effects of generational and contemporary trauma that resonates deeply with students and the community.
Meanwhile, multiple tribes along the Missouri River have been impacted by federal government decisions such as damming. The creation of a Missouri River Consortium through the Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) located along the Missouri River will connect those tribes and allow them to have a collective voice about the issues they face. Because this nation of the United States was founded on all Native land, it is important for Native people to have a voice in issues related to the land and resources. This project is one way of bringing some of those voices together, which is an opportunity for the local communities on and off the reservations, as well as regionally to become informed about tribal natural resource issues.The project will create research procedures that are informed by Native philosophies. The project will focus on both cultural and biological parameters to measure and monitor to inform priorities and decision-making related to the Missouri River.The ultimate goal of the project is to create a safe and powerful space for tribes to come together to identify and address common issues as they relate to the Missouri River. The project will also establish some common biological features for monitoring and establish some baseline data.
"NIFA's New Beginning for Tribal Students provides competitive grants to Land-grant Colleges and Universities specifically to support Tribal students," Castille said. "Funding in this program may include recruiting, tuition, experiential learning, student services, tutoring, counseling, academic advising, and more, as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture."
Examples of the 13 funded awards for New Beginning for Tribal Students, totaling $3,416,862, include:
- "MU-Osage Food & Agriculture Program for Tribal Student Recruitment, Engagement and Success" will build on the relationship between the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (MU CAFNR) and the Osage Nation to support Tribal student success in higher education on their ancestral lands. As a land grant institution, MU is dedicated to preparing students to address global agricultural and environmental challenges; Tribal students have a critical perspective and role in this work, yet they are underrepresented and underserved. This project aims to address major structural and social barriers to Tribal student enrollment and graduation at MU. An educational exchange between Osage students, teachers, and professionals, with MU CAFNR faculty and staff will synergize student engagement with cultural awareness and relevance training. Experiential summer programming for Osage high school students will simultaneously serve as recruitment and as a place-based community connection. Upon establishing this relational accountability, a cohort of Osage students will be provided financial aid, mentorship and advising throughout their MU CAFNR degree program to reduce structural and social barriers to success in higher education and career readiness. Comprehensive evaluation of the project's impacts on Osage students, MU CAFNR faculty, and curricular inclusivity, will leverage the value of this program as a tool for responding to Tribal student needs, and as a model for expanding critical infrastructure for Indigenous students at land grant universities. ($250,000)
- Kansas State University's project aims to elevate the goals of Native American students and provide them with equitable access to higher education. Project leaders will work with the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance, Kansas Association for Native American Education, Haskell Indian Nations University, and the Kickapoo Nation School to use research on food sovereignty and community gardens to provide role models for Native youth and help them prepare for college. ($176,425)
As it celebrates National Native American Heritage month throughout November, NIFA continues strengthening its agricultural investments in support of Native American communities.
NIFA invests in and advances agricultural research, education, and Extension across the nation to make transformative discoveries that solve societal challenges. NIFA supports initiatives that ensure the long-term viability of agriculture and applies an integrated approach to ensure that groundbreaking discoveries in agriculture-related sciences and technologies reach the people who can put them into practice. In FY2020, NIFA's total investment was $1.95 billion.
Categories: Missouri, Education