Native American Agriculture Fund

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Posted: May 1, 2020

Dear Native Agriculturalists,

I hope this message finds you in good health and good spirits. Happy May Day to you all; it’s hard to believe the first day of May is here already. I know this has been a disruptive time for many communities and individuals, and I hope the following resources can be of assistance to our Native farmers and ranchers.

Guiding Native Farmers Through COVID-19 Relief & Recovery

NAAF and Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) are working with Farm Aid and Farmers’ Legal Action Group (FLAG) to present a webinar titled ‘Guiding Native Farmers Through COVID-19 Relief & Recovery’. The webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, May 5th at 3 pm ET/ 2 pm CT/ 1 pm MT/ 12 pm PT. You may register for the webinar here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2967355790573750032.

Here’s a preview of the guide: http://www.flaginc.org/covid-19-guide/

Native Farmer, Rancher, and Fisher Sovereignty Series: Sharpening Your Tools to Access Data Driven Analysis

A new venture by Mvskoke Loan Fund, Native CDFI Network, Center for Farm Financial Management (CFFM) and NAAF seeks to share financial tools directly with Native farmers and ranchers. A recording of the first webinar on Wednesday, April 29 can be found online and the remaining webinars are scheduled for:

Wednesday, May 6 at 3 p.m. ET — Business Planning
Wednesday, May 13 at 3 p.m. ET — Sources of Farm Financial Information
Wednesday, May 20 at 3 p.m. ET — FINPACK Financial Analysis & Planning, Credit Analysis
Wednesday, May 27 at 3 p.m. ET — Financial Information and Transition Planning
Wednesday, June 3 at 3 p.m. ET — Land Rental Arrangements

NAAF List of COVID-19 Resources

We are deeply aware of the hardship and uncertainty facing our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Collectively, we must make an even greater commitment to Native agriculture to ensure food for our people. Like our farmers, ranchers, fishers and food people, we are in this for the long haul and we know it will take concerted efforts to stabilize our communities.

To aid in that effort, NAAF has developed a COVID-19 resource page (www.NativeAmericanAgricultureFund.org/covid19-resources) to collect and share resources for Native producers, Tribal governments, NAAF grantees and all others involved in Native agriculture.

NAAF 2020 Request for Applications Webinar

We are in the midst of our 2020 Request for Applications. We encourage all prospective grantees – 501(c)(3) organizations, educational organizations, CDFIs and Tribes – to visit our website at www.NativeAmericanAgricultureFund.org/2020-rfato learn about our application due June 1, 2020. We’ll host our third of five webinars on Thursday, May 7th at 2 pm CT; register here to attend: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8553571949070462476

Intertribal Agriculture Council Survey

The Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC), a NAAF 2019 grantee, is working to assess the needs of Native producers, Tribal and community leaders, and Native grocers/food hubs/cooperatives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please visit their website at www.indianag.org to take a survey.

We hope that you’ll find these updates useful as you navigate the next few weeks. Please reach out to us at info@NativeAmericanAgricultureFund.org or 479-445-6226 if you have questions or concerns.