The Frontline of Indigenous Agriculture

Walking through the forest behind their home where they harvest ziinzibaakwadwaaboo (maple sap), Jerry and Katy share how the history of the ininaatig (sugar maple) illustrates what happens to the land—and the well-being of Indigenous communities—when it’s been impacted by extractive methods. 

The outermost 10 acres of their property where Jerry and Katy practice sugaring was taken out of tribal ownership following the allotment period, which was codified in 1854 in this particular region. More recently, this portion of the land was “high-graded” by private landowners, a destructive and exploitative practice in which loggers take the healthiest trees, leaving the forest with poor genetic feedstock for future regeneration. The plot was finally purchased by Jerry’s family and came back into tribal ownership generations later.

Jerry and Katy use this clear delineation to illustrate the devastating impacts of extractive mindsets that pervades many aspects of the U.S. agriculture and resource management system: the living beings on the land and the long-term regeneration of the ecosystem are no longer prioritized.

An example of how Sakari Farms uses regenerative practices is controlled burning to stimulate growth of native flora. Burning is a traditional land caregiving technique key for new growth and soil health.

Here, Spring Alaska tends to a sweetgrass plot, which recently underwent a controlled burn. She shares how happy the sweetgrass shoots look after the burn revitalized the soil. “Regenerative agriculture at its finest,” she says.

Spring explains that burning helps to “replenish the native population, our native foods and plants, which is pollinator and wildlife habitat. It restores the nutrients in the soil.” 

The farm also plants sweetgrass seedlings. Here, they are ready for transplanting from the greenhouse to the outdoor plots. Their healthy roots are a hallmark of regenerative systems where the nutrients are fixed into the soil by the plants themselves – helping farmers avoid synthetic fertilizers altogether and preventing soil erosion. 

The practices and principles that build the foundation for Michael’s agricultural methods stem from traditional Hopi dry farming which relies on staying deeply in tune with the biological indicators centered around soil and water.

“All of our techniques are designed to conserve soil moisture," says Michael.

The Hopi people refined and perfected the process of conserving soil moisture over the course of hundreds of generations. It is synchronized with El Niño weather patterns, calibrated to take advantage of monsoon events and snowmelt, and structured to help the crops withstand high wind and erosion typical to the growing conditions on Hopi territory.

While adapting to changes in weather patterns is not new for Michael or the Hopi community, the onset of global climate change has brought a whole new set of challenges. “The window of planting is getting narrow, because things are getting colder and they're getting hotter. And so it's kind of a dual hit. We're just trying to figure out how to adapt and move forward on this.”

Although it’s not just the complex technical aspects of Hopi dry farming methods that are important. To Michael, farming is rooted in the ceremonies and cultural values of the Hopi community. As Michael puts it, it's to “never take more than what you need, and to give back to what you take.” 

These stories were commissioned as part of Forum for the Future’s Growing our Future initiative, which is uniquely bringing together diverse actors from multiple sectors across the US food supply chain to explore how we can mainstream regenerative agriculture. Together, we’re tackling barriers and seizing opportunities to transform how we produce food.

Why not get involved? Contact us to find out more.