E116: The Origins and Vision for the Native American Agriculture Fund

February 23, 2021

Knowing that Native Americans were our country’s first farmers and have a rich and very special history with the land, one might consider it surprising and of course discouraging that some of the most challenging food and agriculture issues in our country confront Native Americans. Our guest, attorney Janie Simms Hipp is one of the most passionate and thoughtful voices in addressing these issues. Simms Hipp is an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation and leads the Native American Agriculture Fund, the largest philanthropic organization devoted solely to serving Native American farming and ranching communities. The Native American Agriculture Fund is a charitable trust that provides grants to eligible organizations for business assistance, agricultural education, technical support and the advocacy services to support native farmers and ranchers.

Related podcasts: Agriculture & Tech | Community & Economic Development | Equity, Race & Food Justice | First Nations Food Issues | Food Policy | History & Food |

 

E103: Film Discussion – Sanjay Rawal on GATHER

January 16, 2021

Today, we’re celebrating the power of stories in creating shared understanding. We’re talking with James Beard award-winning filmmaker Sanjay Rawal. The creative force behind a new movie about Native American food ways called “Gather.” Gather is an intimate portrait of the growing movement amongst Native Americans to reclaim their spiritual, political and cultural identities through food sovereignty, while battling the trauma of centuries of genocide.

Related podcasts: Chefs & Food Writers | Equity, Race & Food Justice | First Nations Food Issues | History & Food | Movies & Food |

 

E104: Adrian Miller on the History of Soul Food

January 7, 2021

Two commonly known words “soul” and “food” capture so much meaning. There are the foods themselves–wonderfully diverse and prepared in homes, churches and restaurants–but there’s so much more to this. There’s a history, a culture, religion and the blending of cuisines from surprising places according to culinary historian Adrian Miller.

Related podcasts: Chefs & Food Writers | History & Food |

 

E102: Lyla June on Returning to Native American Agricultural Traditions

December 15, 2020

What if we cultivated our environment instead of intensive crop planting and animal farming, and in turn created an abundance of food to meet our needs? Is this what First Nations people did here in the Americas? This concept is the focus of doctoral research of today’s guest, Indigenous musician, scholar, and community organizer, Lyla June. June is an Indigenous woman of Dine (Navajo), Tsetsehestahese (Cheyenne) and European lineage. She’s pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. And she’s fascinated by the intersection of Indigenous food systems and Indigenous land management.

Related podcasts: Advocacy & Food | Agriculture & Tech | Climate Change, Environment & Food | Equity, Race & Food Justice | First Nations Food Issues | Fisheries & Food Policy | Food Policy | History & Food |

 

E76: Food Fights – A Civil Conversation About Contemporary Food Debates

February 20, 2020

Understanding our current food system, where it came from and especially where it might go is much easier if one understands history. Our field needs historians, thoughtful scholars who can do deep exploration of what has preceded the snapshot in time that represents what we’re experiencing today. This is why an exciting development was the recent publication of a book entitled Food Fights edited by two historians at North Carolina State University, Charles Ludington and Matthew Booker. We’re joined today by both of the editors.

Related podcasts: Agriculture & Tech | Chefs & Food Writers | Climate Change, Environment & Food | Food Policy | History & Food | Ultra-processed Food & Additives |