First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) is a Native-led nonprofit and recipient of a 2020 USDA Regional Farm to School Institute Grant. They recently established Native Farm to School—a project within the Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative. The goal of the project is to support Farm to School programs serving Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities throughout Indian Country that aim to bring food sovereignty to their local food systems.

Through the Native Farm to School network, First Nations identified common themes that emerged from active Native Farm to School programs:

1. Tribal Community Involvement: In addition to parent and teacher involvement, the participation of tribal organizations can bolster a program’s capacity. This can be done by offering land to grow food, additional educational expertise, resources for community-wide planting or harvesting, and support for intergenerational learning from toddlers to elders.  
2. Practicing Indigenous Foodways: There are many traditional gardening, fishing, hunting, and gathering methods and protocols that can be practiced that are tribe or region-specific. These Indigenous foodways allow for culturally relevant food processing, storage, and cooking activities to take place. Teachings of the arts, music, and story are often intertwined in these foodways.
3. Traditional Knowledge and Language: Bringing traditional values into the roots of the curriculum helps to align culturally responsible learning for both the student and teacher. Tribal educators make use of traditional teachings like the Three Sisters (Corn, Beans, and Squash) to reinforce essential cultural concepts and build skills for each grade level. Students in some Native immersion programs learn in their language while others learn new words and practice using language both in their lessons and at home.
4. Access to Native Foods: Increasing access to Native foods can support student health and build cultural awareness. Schools at various capacity levels can work to offer more Native foods in their daily food meals, during school events, and in their afterschool programs. 

The Indigenous NH Harvest Calendar

The Indigenous NH Harvest calendar is a project of NH Farm to School and the Indigenous NH Collaborative Collective. The calendar features the foods of the Abenaki, the Indigenous inhabitants of N’dakinna (our land).   The Abenaki, the main Indigenous inhabitants of what is now New Hampshire, are part of the Wabanaki people which also includes other nations like the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy. Wabanaki means People of the Dawnland, as they are the first to greet the sunrise. The Wabanaki inhabited and still inhabit what is now Northern New England and parts of Canada.

The Harvest Calendar feature foods that would have been hunted, gathered, or cultivated, as well as accompanying recipes and activities. The seasonal foods are based on the 13 moons calendar of when the foods would have been available and still are! Indigenous heritage and people continue to be an integral part of New Hampshire and this resource hopefully will contribute to increased knowledge and awareness of that.

FY 2021 Farm to School RFA – Applications Due January 8, 2021

The fiscal year (FY) 2021 Farm to School Grant Program Request for Applications (RFA) is open! The Grant RFA can be found online here. Additional resources for the FY 2021 Farm to School Grant application are now available on the "Related Documents" tab of the Grants.gov page. Visit Grants.gov for templates to assist with the proposal narrative and budget narrative sections of the application, plus a fillable priority declaration checklist! Be sure that you continue to check Grants.gov as well as the Resources for Grant Applicants page of the FNS website to ensure you stay up to date on all the latest developments with the FY 2021 application!