For years, the American Indian Business Enterprise (AIBE) at New Mexico State University has worked with farmers from the New Mexico Pueblos, the Navajo Nation, and other Tribal members in the region. AIBE has identified an ongoing concern among farmers: the issue of food perishability from remote locations due to an underdeveloped packaging and shipping infrastructure. This causes significant financial losses. With this NAAF grant, AIBE intends to provide regulatory compliance training and to implement a freeze-drying regimen with a packaging process that takes produce to a market-ready state. Introducing lyophilization into the farm-to-market chain is an innovative approach to extend the life and market-readiness of Native-grown produce in New Mexico. AIBE intends to build on previous relationships with producers and high-volume markets through technical assistance and network outreach.
© Native American Agriculture Fund 2018 
About Company
The Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) provides grants to eligible organizations for business assistance, agricultural education, technical support, and advocacy services to support Native farmers and ranchers.
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.