Food sovereignty

Food sovereignty

Indigenous food sovereignty is much more than promoting a healthy, traditional diet. It is about reclaiming Indigenous peoples’ ability to access and manage traditional food sources. Food sovereignty promotes gaining a better understanding of—and a relationship to—the land and waters that produce our foods and medicines.

At NAYA, we believe that access to traditional foods is the most powerful tool we have to combat chronic diseases. Foods like huckleberries and rose hips are naturally anti-diabetic. Methods of obtaining traditional foods, such as gathering, gardening, and fishing promote physical activity.

Food sovereignty includes cultural revitalization and bringing our traditional hunting, gathering, tending, fishing, preparing, and storing knowledge to new generations. Supporting the community in self-empowerment, holistic wellness, and creativity in the ways in which we choose to feed our families. Food sovereignty is about reclaiming control over our health while decolonizing and re-indigenizing our diets. It is about asserting the human right to have secure access to healthy foods cultivated in sustainable ways and promoting sustainable economic development and stewardship of land and water resources.

NAYA’s Food Sovereignty programming includes:

  • Medicine and food gardens
  • Group cooking classes & recipe sharing
  • Sustainable harvesting
  • Food preservation demonstrations and lending library
  • Ecosystem restoration
  • Networking and resource sharing
  • Food and medicine distribution to elders and others
  • Opportunities to connect with land

Please check our events calendar to stay apprised of our current programming.

Want to learn more about Indigenous Food Sovereignty?