We affirm an increase in indigenous organic production in the US to end cultural

appropriation and recognize indigenous contributions to the field

Merrigan, 21 writes (Kathleen A. Merrigan , June 2021 , accessed on 3-7-2022, Sustainability-
innovation.asu, "", https://sustainability-innovation.asu.edu/food/wp-content/uploads/sites/
39/2021/06/Organic-Report-2021-2.pdf)

Within the geographic boundaries of the US, Tribal Nations have 58.7 million acres of farmland and
almost 80,000 farming and ranching producers 20. Cumulatively, the Native agriculture sector provides an annual $3.5 Billion in market
value to tribal communities, with approximately 60% attributable to the livestock sector and the remainder attributable to grains, fruits and vegetables and other
crops. The most recent Census of Agriculture showed increases across the board for Tribal agriculture, especially in crop production, with a 24% increase in fruit and
tree nut farming and 20% increase in greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture farming.21 This
presents a huge opportunity to grow the US
organic sector. Many tribal lands are maintained through practices consistent with the NOP. Native
Peoples have raised crops and livestock sustainably for millennia and many organic farmers and
ranchers have adopted Indigenous practices to help them forgo chemical inputs, protect natural
resources, promote biodiversity, and care humanely for animals. Many times, the adoption of those
practices happens without a full understanding of the cultural significance of the practice, how the
practice may differ from tribe to tribe and/or whether adoption of a practice could signal an
appropriation from the tribe. Despite the contributions of Indigenous wisdom to the US organic sector,
few American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) have benefited from the NOP. Often Indigenous
voices are not at the table when organic practices are discussed, even if the root of the practice under
consideration derives from the Indigenous community. Part of the reason for low participation is that it is not always easy for
AI/AN producers to become certified. If USDA found suitable pathways for certification for AI/AN producers and Tribal

governments, it would create a win-win situation: more certified organic food would be in the
marketplace and AI/AN producers would benefit economically. USDA should prioritize exploring two
strategies. Establishing organic equivalency with Tribal Nations is one potential strategy. Organic equivalency is
when two countries recognize each other’s organic standards as essentially the same, even if there are minor differences. The advantage of having an equivalency
arrangement between countries is that it facilitates the free trade of organic goods. In the US, USDA and the US Trade Representative negotiate all such equivalency
arrangements which may include some or all raw or processed organic products. At this writing, the US has signed and executed organic equivalency arrangements
with Canada, European Union, Taiwan, Japan, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and for processed foods only, Korea. Within the US, there are 574 federally recognized
and sovereign Indian Nations across 35 states. While equivalency arrangements could be executed with each Tribal government that has established organic
standards, another alternative could be to negotiate equivalency arrangements at an intertribal level through the Intertribal Agriculture Council as a representative
of Indian Country agriculture as a whole. An additional alternative in the equivalency space would be to negotiate equivalency arrangements with regional political
intertribal organizations operating under shared, co-management or cooperative legal authorities created for that purpose. A
second potential
strategy is to certify AI/AN producers under the grower group certification provision of the NOP. Grower
group certification is designed for multiple producers who are producing the same crops in one general geographic region. Historically, the grower group
certification provision has been poorly enforced and in August 2020,22 USDA published a proposed rule to strengthen enforcement which, among other things,
proposes strengthened grower group rules, a move long awaited by the organic industry. Once
this rule is finalized, Indian Country
could establish several grower groups located throughout Indian Country to facilitate AI/AN
participation in the organic marketplace. Deeper discussions with the Intertribal Agriculture Council
and the Native Farm Bill Coalition concerning the mechanics of such processes is a logical next step

Thus, the role of the ballot is the vote for the team that best decolonizes organic
agriculture and centers indigenous production
Douglas, 21 explains(Julie Douglas, 12-8-2021, accessed on 3-7-2022, Organic Growers School,
"What Does it Mean to Decolonize Organic Agriculture? - Organic Growers School",
https://organicgrowersschool.org/what-does-it-mean-to-decolonize-organic-agriculture/)
At its core, regenerative and sustainable agriculture is Indigenous knowledge. Many techniques we use,
such as permaculture principles, can be accredited to Indigenous science. Native North Americans domesticated many
crops such as corn, squash, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, and tobacco, which was one of the most important cash crops in Colonial America and Western North
Carolina through the early 2000s. Tobacco grew in the wild and was cultivated by Indigenous peoples as a ceremonial and medicinal herb, but it was commodified in
1610 CE by John Rolfe. These
contributions have been erased for generations, as others have built fortunes on
stolen land using Indigenous science, claiming it as their own. Acknowledging this history & centering
the truth is critical to ensure we don’t repeat these types of exploitation . The infamously cruel Trail of
Tears – the forced removal of Native communities from the Southeastern US to the Midwest – was
carried out by the federal government so that white settlers could grow cotton, and build family wealth.
Many white colonizers resorted to violent means to take land from their Indigenous neighbors. They
stole livestock, burned and looted houses and towns, committed mass murder, and squatted on land
that did not belong to them. They also benefited from the violence and scourge of slavery. With the rise of the cotton industry in the mid-1830s, the
number of enslaved Black people grew astronomically. Enslaved people were the literal and figurative backbone of the southern cotton economy, yet treated as less
than human and endured horrific conditions.

Especially given a lack of labor, indigenous production is the path forward

Hou, 22 observes (Yongrui Hou, 1/4/2022, accessed on 3-7-2022, Analysis of Determinants Affecting
Organic Production: State Evidence from the United States, https://www.mdpi.com/2071-
1050/14/1/503)
As the size of the total population increases, there would also be an increase the number of organic farms. Kostandini, Mykerezi, and Tanellari used the county level
organic farming data and suggested that an increase of local population would increase the number of organic farms by 0.013 [22]. This is expected because a larger
population suggests a larger consumer base which would provide the local organic growers with a stable demand for their products. The estimates suggest that
policymakers should be more aware of the importance of cultivating a large and stable consumer group to ensure the steady development of local organic farming.
One more factor that would affect the number of organic farms is the total number of farm workers in a
state. Even though many sectors in agriculture nowadays have adopted mechanization, the organic
production sector may be still labor-intensive due to its unique agronomic practices that prevent the use
of many chemical and polluting inputs. As a result, abundant labor is an essential factor for an organic
farm to sustain itself and make a profit [65]. Lohr and Park found that an expansion of farm labor employment would raise rates of return
to organic production and therefore would increase the organic acreages [66]. Schneeberger, Darnhofer and Eder further pointed

out that farm labor, including family and hired labor, are essential for organic farms due to their labor-
intensive nature [67]. However, multiple factors nowadays seem to jeopardize a stable supply of farm
labor to organic agriculture in the U.S., such as reduced migration from other countries (such as
Mexico), more stringent immigration policies across states, and a notable shift of labor from the farm
sector to other sectors with higher salaries. The estimates in Table 2 suggest that farm labor is
positively connected to the expansion of the organic farming sector and that a labor shortage that
may happen in the future may become a critical issue for organic farming in the U.S. Aubert and
Enjolras found that labor appears as a key factor insofar as organic farming practices differ from
conventional farming, with several implications in terms of activities and marketing channels

Indigenous food systems are sufficient for food production

Diaz, 21 (Clarisa Diaz, 11-23-2021, accessed on 3-7-2022, Quartz, "How indigenous food systems
promote sustainability", https://qz.com/2091136/how-indigenous-food-systems-promote-
sustainability/)

Can indigenous food systems produce the same amount of food as industrial systems to feed the world?
“Absolutely…We could have food systems dotted around urban areas, utilizing both perennial and
domesticated plant seeds,” said Sherman. “Think about how much one small farmers’ market farm can produce in one summer. We could be
growing a ton of food, then it’s about understanding how to preserve it.” The
UN is in agreement that indigenous food systems
can scale up.”If indigenous peoples had the same level of access to land and resources in finance that
non-indigenous peoples have in agriculture, my hypothesis is that there would actually be greater
production of food.” said Mikaila Way who leads FAO’s indigenous peoples’ unit in North America. Reclaiming land could allow
indigenous food systems to be interconnected and seen through to their full potential.

Indigenous techniques that will make industrial farming more sustainable. Eating strawberries or oranges all year round
requires transporting them long distances across the planet and making a huge carbon footprint. Food the local environment provides seasonally doesn’t need to be
transported as far. While there may be less of certain items they could taste better and perhaps have a higher seasonal demand. Industry
could also
learn to focus more on food generation. Food generation is what nature grows without human
intervention. Food production uses human intervention to produce food from nature. For example, the
ocean providing fish is food generation, the act of fishing is food production. A focus on food production
exacerbates the scarcity of resources, as overfishing has depleted fish populations around the world.
Investing in regenerative approaches can include periodically not fishing in certain areas so that fish
populations can grow, and replenishing soil so that native plants repopulate an area. The globe’s current
food base is based on a few crops like wheat, rice, soy, and corn. Industry can work to diversify this set
of foundational foods. “It is not only tremendously risky in terms of price shocks” said Fernández de Larrinoa, but also is a very limited choice of
sustenance and unhealthy if not balanced with other foods. Fruits and vegetables that are nutritious are often neglected for monocrops. Processed foods like high-
fructose corn syrup are not digested well by the human body and are associated with health problems. Industry could increase the variety of crops grown to offer
other kinds of foods that are more nutritious.

An increase in indigenous organic production benefits native communities in x ways

First, is health
Native Partnership, 17 writes (accessed on 3-8-2022, Nativepartnership, "",
http://www.nativepartnership.org/site/DocServer/2017-PWNA-NPRA-Food-Insecurity-Project-
Grow.pdf?docID=7106)

The U.S. government provides food commodities to low-income tribal members, as they do to other
low-income Americans. These commodities help feed families but are often limited to foods that are low
in nutritional value and high in fats and carbohydrates, in part contributing to the poor health in Indian
country. Native Americans face multiple health issues, including the highest rate of type 2 diabetes in
the country and being nearly twice as likely as other Americans to die from diabetes . An estimated 42
percent of Native Americans also struggle with obesity.

Organic agriculture uses cultural traditions to increase access to nutritious foods which
resolve health problems
Martinez, 07 (Rhea Trotman Martinez, No Date, accessed on 3-8-2022, Epapers.uwsp, "",
https://epapers.uwsp.edu/thesis/2007/Martinez.pdf)

The loss of indigenous knowledge may be linked to rising health problems among indigenous people.
According to Gokee, many Native American families that he knows have been affected by diabetes,
including his mother and three brothers (Martinez, 2006). In the past 1-2 generations, obesity has
become a major health concern among Native Americans. The rise in obesity among these populations
has been attributed to an abundance of high-fat foods and a change from active to sedentary lifestyles.
Obesity has been linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, and occurrences of
these diseases is higher among Native American populations than that of the general US population
(Young, 1994; Indian Health Service, 1998; Story et al., 1999). This has been attributed to the hypothesized “thrifty genotype.”
Neel (1962) believed that a “thrifty genotype” might have contributed to the survival of certain populations in times of famine by the accumulation of fat stores
during times of abundance. In environments where there is year-round access to food and reduced physical activity, however, the genotype would lead to obesity
(Neel, 1962; Young, 1994; Fox et al., 1998). Native
American communities in Northern Wisconsin have expressed
concern regarding rising rates of diabetes and heart disease and a loss of indigenous knowledge.
Several groups and organizations, including Americorps’ VISTA, the USDA Natural Resource
Conservation Service (NRCS), the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Global Environmental
Management Education Center (GEM), and Heifer International are working with these communities
on projects aimed at increasing access to nutritious foods and preserving cultural traditions through
sustainable agriculture and agroforestry practices

Second, is the economy

COVID has disproportionately hurt indigenous communities
Oladipo, 21 (Gloria Oladipo, 12-13-2021, accessed on 3-8-2022, the Guardian, "Native American
communities lashed by Covid, worsening chronic inequities",
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/13/pandemic-challenges-native-american-
communities)

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic the president of one of the largest Native American– run non-profits has
warned that health and economic disparities are still seriously affecting Indigenous communities,
despite some progress achieved by the Biden administration. Josh Arce, president of the Partnership
With Native Americans (PWNA), told the Guardian in an interview that challenges affecting
Indigenous groups ranged from health inequities such as high rates of diabetes, heart disease and
other illnesses to inadequate infrastructure such as running water and reliable electricity. Nearly all of
these problems were worsened by the pandemic. “The issues are, by and large, some of the same
issues that we’ve been confronted with but they’ve been really highlighted and exacerbated by Covid-
19 throughout the past two and a half years,” said Arce, who added that such challenges “really
permeate all aspects of Native life and communities”. For centuries, Indigenous communities in the US
have faced challenges in public health, education, infrastructure and other areas, an aftershock of
violent colonization and widespread racism.

Organic agriculture revitalizes tribal economies and stimulates rural economic growth
through the creation of supply chains
Farmers, 21 (U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in, 9-30-2021, accessed on 3-8-2022, Usfarmersandranchers,
"Native American Producers Critical to Future of U.S. Food System and Fighting Climate Change – USFRA
Home", https://usfarmersandranchers.org/stories/economic-sustainability/native-american-producers-
critical-to-future-of-u-s-food-system-and-fighting-climate-change/)
In the past year, U.S. farmers and ranchers have persevered in the face of a global pandemic, extreme climate events, and economic hardship. For Native American
producers, these challenges are even more pronounced. Yet Janie Simms Hipp, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and CEO of The Native American Agriculture Fund
(NAAF), sees hope on the horizon. “Leadership of Native nations and Native agriculture producers are critical to this country’s future agriculture and food systems,”
Hipp says. “We already are involved in agriculture in many aspects, but we’re often invisible. We here at NAAF are focused on helping Native farmers and ranchers
achieve the level of success they desire and that we really need them to achieve.” With
over 59 million acres of Native-operated farms
across over 30 states within the United States, Tribal Nations and Native producers are perhaps the
single most underappreciated resource for sustainable, rural economic development in the U.S.
American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) farms make up 3 percent of all farms in the United States
and will play a critical role in addressing climate change. A new vision for building out Native agriculture sector The challenge is that
Tribal Nations do not have a reliable tax base or the dedicated capital for building the infrastructure necessary to harness the potential of their food systems. To
tackle this, NAAF has set out a vision for Native food and agriculture infrastructure rebuilding and recovery. The vision proposes developing at least ten regional
food hubs in Indian Country to provide processing and distribution infrastructure for food grown and raised by Tribal farmers and ranchers. The
idea is to
leverage the individual food and agriculture strengths of Tribal communities while also ensuring more
economic stability for Tribal producers, which can result when they not only farm, but also process,
distribute and market their goods. A robust food and agriculture value chain would create jobs in rural
and reservation Tribal communities as well as strengthen food system resilience and enhance food
security. The infrastructure built to provide the stability for Native food systems could also serve
those who live nearby. Tribal governments that are investing in infrastructure today are already seeing the need within nearby communities and
farmers and ranchers in the communities surrounding Tribal lands are also excited for the opportunity to engage with the Tribes in ways that also support their own
agriculture investments. In short, the infrastructure is needed.
In addition, infrastructure would provide a framework to
harness Indian Country’s economic and nutritional potential to recover from COVID-19. The nutritional aspect is
critical. According to NAAF, while the federal government spends billions of dollars on USDA nutrition programs to feed Native people, these programs do not fully
support the nutritional needs of Tribal communities and bypass the very Native farmers and ranchers that produce food within those communities. However, with
the infrastructure proposed through the regional food hub model, the nutritional needs of Indian Country would be met by the food produced by Tribal farmers and
ranchers. Not least, these hubs could also serve as critical resources to the broader rural communities .
Recently, Hipp sat down with leading consumer trend-watcher and analyst Phil Lempert, host of the Farm Food Fact podcast from USFRA to discuss some of the
issues facing Indian Country’s farmers and ranchers and how to tap into their potential to help transform the sector. “We know that infrastructure is at the heart of
that transformation, mainly because many of our Native farmers and ranchers, and I would include fishers in that conversation as well, live in some of the more
remote and rural areas of the country where infrastructure is lagging,” Hipp explains. “It is important to the success of Native farmers and ranchers, and the health
of our Native food economies and Native food systems, that we build out the infrastructure that we need.” NAAF has quantified the cost for the infrastructure vision
as a little over $3 billion, roughly equivalent to the annual market value of agricultural products sold by AI/AN producers, which reached $3.5 billion in 2017. “So yes,
while it may sound at first blush like a lot, if you put it in context, it is not, and will bear fruit very quickly,” Hipp notes.

O’Neil, 17 quantifies (Colin O’Neil, 4-13-2017, accessed on 3-5-2022, Goop, "The Organic Trade
Deficit Is Hurting Farmers—Here's What You Need to Know | Goop",
https://goop.com/wellness/environmental-health-civics/the-organic-trade-deficit-is-hurting-farmers-
heres-what-you-need-to-know/)

Organic farming is not just a win for the environment and for consumers—it can be quite profitable for
farmers who go through the three-year federal certification process, because the prices they receive for
certified-organic products are often significantly higher than those for conventional crops. As nations
like Russia, Romania, and China continue to expand organic production, the US should be reducing
barriers for organic transition, so we can expand organic production here at home—or run the risk of
American farmers falling further behind in the international marketplace. Another economic benefit of more organic
farming involves something called organic hot spots—can you explain what they are? An organic hotspot is a county with high levels of organic agricultural activity
whose neighboring counties also have high organic activity. Research on organic hotspots by Penn State agricultural economist Dr. Edward Jaenicke found that
organic hotspots boost household incomes and reduce poverty levels. The study identified 225 counties in the United States as
organic hotspots. An organic hotspot increased median household income in a county by more than
$2,000, while lowering a county’s poverty rate by as much as 1.35 percentage points. Per-capita income in hotspots
increased by an average of $899, and the unemployment rate at the county level was lowered by 0.22 percent. These findings are significant

because they demonstrate that organic agriculture and the businesses it supports have a tremendous
benefit to local economies—and to the financial security of rural communities.

Third, is climate adaptation

Hellmann, 21 (Melissa Hellmann, 11-19-2021, accessed on 3-9-2022, Center for Public Integrity,
"Indigenous solutions to climate change could inform nationwide policies",
https://publicintegrity.org/inside-publici/newsletters/watchdog-newsletter/indigenous-solutions-
climate-change-policies/)

Following heavy rainfall earlier this week, Northwest Washington residents rescued neighbors in fishing boats on washed-out roads. Rising flood waters closed most
routes to and from the peninsula where the Lummi Nation Reservation is located. Aerial footage of the area showed houses surrounded by several feet of water,
like islands in a sea of flood water. The impacts of climate change pose a unique threat to Native American cultures
and economies, which have long been tied to place. Indigenous people migrated to lands more
vulnerable to climate change after settlers and U.S. policies stripped them of their traditional territories.
Now, Native Americans are leading efforts to bolster reservations and other communities against the
damaging effects of climate change. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal signed by President Biden on Nov. 15 granted the Bureau of Indian
Affairs $216 million to help tribes adapt to climate change or even relocate as part of an over $11 billion allocation to Native communities. “As the effects

of climate change continue to intensify, Indigenous communities are facing unique climate-related
challenges that pose existential threats to tribal economies, infrastructure, livelihoods, and health ,”
U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement.

Indigenous agriculture trains the next generation on sustainability

Farmers, 21 (U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in, 9-30-2021, accessed on 3-8-2022, Usfarmersandranchers,
"Native American Producers Critical to Future of U.S. Food System and Fighting Climate Change – USFRA
Home", https://usfarmersandranchers.org/stories/economic-sustainability/native-american-producers-
critical-to-future-of-u-s-food-system-and-fighting-climate-change/)

At the heart of the transformation — and what USFRA and Hipp and others believe will attract ESG
(Environmental, Social and Governance) investment — is climate-smart agriculture, which is a solid bet
not only for investors but for rural economies and for the planet. “I think of the words of one of my staff members, who has a
PhD in natural resources but still farms the traditional Hopi way. He farms corn in the middle of Hopi without irrigation. And when people hear this,

they are just taken aback and ask him, ‘Well, how do you do that?’ and his answer is basically climate
smart agriculture,” Hipp explains. “There are Indigenous knowledge systems that have been central to
our traditions and practices knowledge that we carry from generation to generation, because we were
farming here a long time ago and still are. I think it’s really important for all of us to hear multiple voices when we’re working in these spaces
because if you can grow corn in the middle of Hopi with no irrigation and have a crop every year, then you’re doing something about climate-smart agriculture.”
That knowledge is being handed down to younger generations—and that is also what gives Hipp hope
for the future. As she explains: “There’s a growing number of Native young people who see food and
agriculture as their future and are gripped with a passion for this. They want to be leaders within their
communities, but also have a solid career. That makes me excited for the future because I think it’s going to be in really amazing hands.
We all need to focus on our next generation. They are critical to creating the future in agriculture that
we all want. A fresh set of eyes on what we have before us is really necessary right now. And I am
totally committed to our young people stepping into the lead on this as quickly as possible.”