Intertribal Agriculture Council Submits Comments to BIA, Urges Full Staffing and Support for Tribal Agriculture
- pua805
- Jul 16
- 2 min read
Last week, IAC submitted written comment in response to BIA's consultations on workforce efficiency and reorganization. IAC's comments highlight critical, long-standing, and worsening workforce shortages at BIA and the need for Tribal support for any changes. Insufficient staffing and excessive red tape reduce the BIA's efficiency, leading to significant delays in accessing vital agricultural credit and conservation programs, insufficient oversight of leases and grazing permits, degradation of agricultural trust assets, and financial losses to Tribes and Tribal producers. Further workforce reductions would only exacerbate these challenges, undermine Tribal sovereignty, and abrogate the federal government's trust and treaty obligations to Tribes.
The IAC's recommendations focused on three areas:
Improving workforce: BIA should expeditiously fill vacant positions and identify divisions in need of additional capacity. Lack of sufficient staffing is inefficient, leading to significant administrative delays for Tribes and Tribal producers
Reducing red tape: BIA should work with USDA and FSA to conduct joint staff trainings, simplify approval processes, and address barriers to producers accessing USDA programs on trust lands. For example, BIA should accept environmental assessments conducted by NRCS, and all agencies should align their geospatial data.
Advancing Tribal sovereignty: BIA should take steps to fully implement the American Indian Agriculture Resource Management Act (AIARMA) of 1993, which advanced Tribal control over how agricultural resources are used. The BIA must continue to support both direct-service Tribes and Tribes with 638 contracts and compacts. The decision to enter a 638 contract or compact must rest solely with the Tribe.
These recommendations aim to ensure that the BIA can effectively meet its trust obligations and support the continued growth and economic stability of Indian agriculture. IAC urges the BIA to carefully consider these comments and prioritize the needs of Tribal communities in their workforce optimization efforts.
The IAC Policy and Government Relations team champions the needs of Tribal communities by working directly with federal agencies and lawmakers, analyzing the impacts of policies, and providing advocacy training. You can join these efforts by using our ready-made template letters to contact your legislators to share your story, highlight local priorities, and help shape policies that strengthen Tribal agriculture and rural development.
