On Friday, November 5, the House of Representatives voted to pass the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684), a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package containing tribal-specific funding dedicated to improving transportation, broadband, water quality, and environmental sustainability.

Food and agriculture are major economic drivers for Indian Country, and infrastructure plays a vital role in harnessing that impact to build thriving food economies. Many Native communities are in rural and remote areas of the country. If Native producers and Tribal agricultural operations are going to flourish and remain competitive in agricultural markets, tribal parity is required in areas such as equitable broadband access, viable transportation networks and environmental sustainability to advance Native food systems.

“Infrastructure investments provide critical benefits to equip Native producers and Tribes for success by addressing supply chain challenges and infrastructure inequities. Repairing roads and bridges connects Native producers to broader food distribution channels. Bridging the digital divide can lead to more opportunities for online commerce and entrepreneurship and quicker access to agricultural technology for enhanced efficiency and productivity. Additionally, access to a safe and reliable water supply is essential to agricultural production and the health of our communities,” says Native American Agriculture Fund CEO, Toni Stanger-McLaughlin.

More on the Native American Agriculture Fund and the vision for Native food and agriculture infrastructure rebuilding and recovery: https://bit.ly/NativeAg

The Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) is a private, charitable trust serving Native farmers and ranchers through strategic grantmaking in the areas of business assistance, agricultural education, technical support, and advocacy services. The charitable trust was created by the settlement of the landmark Keepseagle v. Vilsack class-action lawsuit. NAAF is the largest philanthropic organization devoted solely to serving the Native American farming and ranching community. For more information visit https://nativeamericanagriculturefund.org/ 

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