The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced Wednesday an investment of nearly $7 million for projects at Tribal Colleges and Institutions that support Tribal students and their communities.
The Tribal College Research Grant Program helps colleges in the 1994 Land-grant University System become centers of scientific inquiry and learning for remote and rural reservation communities.
"This funding supports crucial, innovative research projects at Tribal-serving Colleges and Universities to address the specific needs of their communities," said NIFA Director Dr. Carrie Castille. "The research projects focus on high-priority areas such as protecting reservation forests or monitoring water quality to promote sustainability and climate-smart agriculture and forestry on Tribal lands. Other projects aim to ensure food and nutrition security and support healthy Tribal populations through improving bison herd productivity, uncovering the ways traditional plants can impact diabetes, or controlling invasive species."
Examples of the 10 funded awards for the Tribal College Research Grant Program, totaling $4,298,438, include:
- "Increasing Community Research and Building a Research Pathway at FDLTCC" which will receive $500,000. Capacity building for Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (FDLTCC) in Cloquet, Minn., is critical for the continued development of field and laboratory experiences for the next generation of leaders and scientists to emerge from FDLTCC. The best way to provide these experiences is to engage students in practical research projects that are guided by issues concerning regional tribal lands. The grant would use the momentum that has been created by successful past research projects and build it into a STEM focused program that gives tribal college students enhanced skills, knowledge, and leadership experiences needed to pursue higher educational degrees and get them into STEM careers. This would expand the network of research mentors at the college and with regional partners to recruit tribal college students earlier in their educational careers to increase student opportunities for undergraduate research projects, experiences, and successful internships as they transition from our two-year institution to higher degrees. Students who participate in these types of programs have been shown to be more motivated and successful in pursuing STEM jobs and/or higher degrees.
- The College of Menominee Nation's project is a collaborative effort with University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Menominee Tribe's Historic Preservation Office to reclaim Menominee culture, food sovereignty, and community wellbeing by using and teaching agricultural techniques of their ancestors. ($500,000) The Keshena college also received a second grant of $220,000 to build a Northern Fruit Consortium.
- Forth Berthold Community College's two projects: "Trauma-focused Equine-assisted Learning (TF-EAL) Integration into Equine Students Curricula" ($95,000) and "TCU Missouri River Basin Consortium" ($220,000).
The equine project was submitted by Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College (NHSC), under the Capacity Building Research Project, with an Applied Faculty/Community focus. This project is clearly a "skillful adaptation of existing knowledge to address unique community needs requiring a culturally sensitive approach". Specifically, it is evaluating the feasibility of implementing Trauma-Focused strategies into an existing Agriculture Academic Department utilizing a more culturally appropriate and trauma-focused model of education delivery to address effects of generational and contemporary trauma that resonates deeply with students and the community. A return to wellness for the people of Fort Berthod, overcoming "risk factors" and health disparities require us to honor Indigenous holistic health models that address physical, emotional, and spiritual health while honoring traditional ways of living and being. This model integrates culturally relevant, TF-EAL into coursework into an Equine Studies Associates of Science degree.
Multiple tribes along the Missouri River have been impacted by federal government decisions such as damming. The creation of a Missouri River Consortium through the Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) located along the Missouri River will connect those tribes and allow them to have a collective voice about the issues they face. Because this nation of the United States was founded on all Native land, it is important for Native people to have a voice in issues related to the land and resources. This project is one way of bringing some of those voices together, which is an opportunity for the local communities on and off the reservations, as well as regionally to become informed about tribal natural resource issues.The project will create research procedures that are informed by Native philosophies. The project will focus on both cultural and biological parameters to measure and monitor to inform priorities and decision-making related to the Missouri River.The ultimate goal of the project is to create a safe and powerful space for tribes to come together to identify and address common issues as they relate to the Missouri River. The project will also establish some common biological features for monitoring and establish some baseline data.
- "Bio-based Polymer Degradation and Impact on Human Health" ($454,740) submitted by United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck, N.D. Polymers are one the most widely used materials today for infrastructure applications. However, with exposure to environmental elements such as UV radiation, humidity, and heat these polymers tend to break down or degrade. The degraded polymers are often mixed in the water stream with water runoff. This study aims to: 1) Utilize agricultural products such as soybean oil, corn oil, and beet juice for fabrication of polyurethane based composites. 2) The fabricated samples will be exposed to accelerated weathering and will be examined for the changes in the mechanical and thermal properties. 3) Finally, the degraded polymeric material will be collected and will be exposed to human liver cells in various concentrations, and its impact on the cells will be studied.
"NIFA's New Beginning for Tribal Students provides competitive grants to Land-grant Colleges and Universities specifically to support Tribal students," Castille said. "Funding in this program may include recruiting, tuition, experiential learning, student services, tutoring, counseling, academic advising, and more, as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture."
Examples of the 13 funded awards for New Beginning for Tribal Students, totaling $3,416,862, include:
- There is a great need to increase the number of Native Americans in the nursing profession. Native American individuals have experienced greater health problems than any other group in the United States. South Dakota State University will increase the number of Native American nurses, increase awareness of health issues, and build a more diverse nursing workforce, joining with "Future of Nursing 2020-2030 Campaign for Action: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity," that focuses on improving the well-being of Native communities. ($250,000)
- "New Beginnings: Supporting Students from Urban Inter-Tribal and Rural Communities" at North Dakota State University in Fargo. This project will address the post-secondary needs of a growing population of Tribal learners from both rural and urban settings. To increase their enrollment, retention, and graduation, we will build and strengthen relationships with local TCUs and rural Tribal communities and establish a formal partnership with our local P-12 Indian Education Programs. Tribal students entering the workforce through post-secondary education will experience a more supportive NDSU campus community, leading to improved academic successes and increased community prosperity and economic development in their Tribal communities. ($370,000)
- "Wisconsin Land Grant System Partnership for Enhancing Native College Student Readiness and Retention" received $572,331.
This project builds on the current funded New Beginnings grant to identify and strengthen multiple pathways for Native youth to pursue STEM careers. This project extends and deepens the first significant collaboration among the three land-grant institutions in Wisconsin to broadly coordinate systemic efforts to support Native education pathways across Tribal and public educational systems. In this proposal, we focus on agriculture and natural resource management majors and internships, to increase the number of college-educated Native people and build capacity for a robust Tribal workforce. The project is aligned with input from the 12 Native Nations in Wisconsin to develop pathways for their youth to graduate from higher education. Key partners are Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College, College of Menominee Nation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Wisconsin Tribal Conservation Advisory Council. The goal is to enhance educational readiness and retention in college, leading to workforce development for Native youth through activities targeting pre-college to Tribal Colleges and UW-Madison. Through our proposed activities we will foster Native leadership, amplify Native voices and build sustainable strategies for academic and career goal achievement contributing to a diverse workforce. Objective are: 1. Broaden Native pre-college students' experiences with STEM, agriculture and natural resource majors and careers, and expand these opportunities to other Tribal communities within Wisconsin. 2. Attract and retain students in STEM majors particularly in natural resource conservation and agricultural fields. Increase student graduation and career preparation through cultivating a sense of belonging, skill mastery, and commitment to individual growth and service to community.
As it celebrates National Native American Heritage month throughout November, NIFA continues strengthening its agricultural investments in support of Native American communities.
NIFA invests in and advances agricultural research, education, and Extension across the nation to make transformative discoveries that solve societal challenges. NIFA supports initiatives that ensure the long-term viability of agriculture and applies an integrated approach to ensure that groundbreaking discoveries in agriculture-related sciences and technologies reach the people who can put them into practice. In FY2020, NIFA's total investment was $1.95 billion.
Categories: Minnesota, Education