Did you know that American Indian and Alaska Native producers are more likely to be female than U.S. producers overall?
This year, during National Women’s History Month, we recognize the contributions of Native women in agriculture. Native women not only play a critical role in feeding their families and communities but also hold cultural knowledge that has stewarded the land for countless generations.
This March, IAC celebrates the strength, knowledge, spirit, and ingenuity of the Native women who work tirelessly to feed their communities and protect traditional food systems for future generations. Among them is IAC Board Member Meagen Baldy (Hupa), whose advocacy for increased food access in Native communities has profoundly impacted Indian Country food and agriculture. She has served as the Pacific region’s Tribal delegate for the IAC Board of Directors since 2017, during which time she has worked to improve food access through gardening, food preservation, youth programming, and building local food economies. Meagen currently works as the Food Safety Specialist for the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative, where she assists Tribes with food safety training.
“We want to make sure that our kids know about their food system [because] it’s important for them to love their traditional foods. When we’re gone, they’re going to be the ones here to protect it. They’re not going to protect something that they don’t love. So we need to instill that love for their food. We need to instill that love […] because they’re going to be the ones to protect it when we’re gone.”
Listen to Meagen's keynote address at the IAC's Annual Conference linked below!