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Sowing The Seeds of Food Sovereignty
By Joshua Arce
Amari, a 16-year-old from Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico, tucks her dark hair under a hair net, ties an apron around her waist, and pulls on some latex gloves. She then gets to work slicing and peeling an assortment of vegetables and locally grown produce.
A score of others join Amari in the kitchen of the Wellness Center at the Navajo Nation’s Fort Defiance Indian Hospital Board, where the air is tinged with the aroma of simmering bison stew, earthy elk tacos, and freshly roasted corn, a mix of scents that reflect generations of Indigenous food traditions.
The group gathered here today is participating in the Four Directions Leadership Development program sponsored by Partnership With Native Americans® (PWNA). This program is bringing together Native youth from different tribes to develop leadership skills, cultural knowledge, and practical tools for strengthening their communities.
The program’s lessons are as much about history as they are about food preparation and horticulture. Earlier in the session, a Navajo presenter who helped pass the Navajo Nation’s 2014 Healthy Diné Nation Act, known as the “junk food tax,” spoke about the origins of fry bread. Once embraced as a cultural favorite, fry bread was born from U.S. government rations of flour, sugar, and lard during forced relocation. Over time, these processed foods replaced nutrient-rich traditional diets, contributing to today’s high rates of illness. This includes obesity which affects nearly 40% of men and over 46% of women. Furthermore, Native adults experience heart disease at rates 48% higher and liver disease 56% higher than their white counterparts.
The discussion in the leadership session is motivating, says Amari.
“If we can take action to protect our health, not just for today, but for our future, it’s worth it,” she says. “Learning to cook with healthy traditional foods is part of that action.”
Food Sovereignty Dilemma
Across the U.S. there is a lack of access to fresh, affordable, and culturally relevant food in Native communities. Many reservations are food deserts, areas where nutritious food simply isn’t available nearby. Some families must travel for hours to reach a full-service grocery store. Others rely on local gas stations or convenience stores that carry mostly processed, packaged goods with little to no fresh produce.
These challenges aren’t just inconvenient — they’re a matter of life and health.
PWNA is working with on-reservation partners to strengthen food sovereignty by addressing food access at its roots. Through education, community gardens, and local food plots, we are helping Native communities build sustainable, locally fed food systems.
Food sovereignty means a community has the right to identify and control how their food is produced, prepared, and distributed, including the quantity and quality of what they serve on their tables. It goes beyond simply having enough food, it’s about restoring knowledge, health, and self-determination.
Strengthening Food Sovereignty At Its Roots.
Following the kitchen sessions, Amari and her group visit the Wellness Center Garden, where they learn how Indigenous crops in desert conditions grow. Eleven-year-old Nelson, from the Navajo Nation, recently participated in a hands-on soil testing activity. Fascinated, he learned how minerals like potassium, magnesium, and nitrogen levels affect plant health and now plans to test the soil in his own yard.
“Too much or too little of anything can be bad for growing,” explains Nelson.
Amari and Nelson were energized by the idea that food sovereignty isn’t just about gardening — it’s about reclaiming culture, improving health, and ensuring future generations can thrive.
“If we can take action to protect our health, not just for us, but for future generations, that’s success,” says Amari.
Through PWNA’s Four Directions Leadership Development program, Native youth like Amari and Nelson are gaining the skills and inspiration to lead change — one seed, one story, and one meal at a time.
Our plan is deliberate because the stakes are high.
Twenty-three percent of Native American families suffer from food insecurity today – the highest rate of any group in the U.S. Many factors contribute to this crisis, including climate change, droughts, natural disasters, a lack of government responsibility, but something often overlooked is the lack of food sovereignty for Tribes on remote reservations. Without control over their food systems, nutrition-related health issues continue to rise.
Planting The Seeds
PWNA is fortunate to work with on-reservation partners and supporters who share our vision of strengthening food sovereignty from the ground up.
- Foundational Education: Hands-on programs and workshops teach youth and their families how to grow, prepare, and preserve healthy foods.
- Growing Spaces: Community gardens and food plots provide safe, accessible places for residents to grow their own produce and reconnect with traditional food practices.
- Empowerment: These programs build independence, skills, and long-term resilience within communities.
- Cultural Relevance: Food sovereignty honors cultural traditions, ensuring communities can grow and eat foods meaningful to them.
- Health Impact: Increased access to fresh food improves nutrition, lowers the risk of chronic disease, and supports overall well-being.
- Economic Impact: Local food production keeps resources in the community and reduces dependence on expensive outside systems.
- Youth Engagement: Young Native people gain leadership, agricultural skills, and confidence while helping feed their families and neighbors.
- Long-Term Vision: Our goal is to transform food deserts into thriving, self-sufficient food networks for future generations.
While Native food sovereignty is gaining traction in Tribal communities and on reservations around the country, it is also touching the mainstream. James Beard Award-winning chef Sean Sherman, founder of the acclaimed Owamni restaurant, has helped elevate indigenous foods nationally. He emphasizes that Native culture doesn’t need to return to a pre-colonial diet, but it can reclaim and normalize indigenous foods while embracing healthier plan and protein diversity.
This approach also means adapting diets to the seasons and rediscovering local plants and their role in traditional diets. As Sherman notes, Native food culture isn’t a museum piece, it’s living, evolving and strengthened when traditions are being honored and adapted.
Embracing the Past While Forging The Future
On Arizona Gives Day you can help Native communities reclaim healthy, culturally meaningful food. Your support strengthens food sovereignty through hands-on education, community gardens and local food plots that give families the tools and spaces to grow their own food.
Together, we can transform food deserts into thriving, community-led food systems through hands-on food education, community gardens and local food plots for generations to come.
