The Native Farm Bill Coalition (NFBC) is working to ensure that Native Americans and Indigenous groups have significant representation in the negotiations for the next Farm Bill. Their main goals include increasing access to USDA programs by explicitly including Tribal Nations and Native producers and reducing legislative and bureaucratic barriers.

The Farm Bill, passed approximately every five years, covers food and agricultural policy, including conservation, rural development, and food assistance programs—key issues for Native Americans. The 2018 Farm Bill, now extended until September 30, 2024, saw the NFBC secure 63 provisions benefiting Tribal Nations and Native producers, enhancing food security, market access, and resource availability.

Formed in 2017 by the Intertribal Agriculture Council, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, the Indigenous Food & Agriculture Initiative, and the National Congress of American Indians, the NFBC successfully advocated for these provisions, which allowed Tribes to receive agricultural disaster assistance, qualify for conservation programs, and include traditional foods in food access programs. Additionally, funding for Tribal Colleges and Native students increased.

In their report, “Gaining Ground: A Report on the 2018 Farm Bill Successes for Indian Country and Opportunities for 2023,” the NFBC highlighted these unprecedented achievements. The provisions boosted market opportunities for Native producers, prioritized Tribal voices, and promoted Tribal sovereignty and self-determination in USDA programs.

Since then, the NFBC has continued to hold Tribal roundtable meetings to gather input and advocate for further progress in the next Farm Bill. The Coalition aims to support Tribal sovereignty in food systems and improve Tribal parity across USDA programs.

Despite the current Farm Bill extension keeping existing programs active, the NFBC stresses the importance of enacting a new Farm Bill to build on the 2018 successes. They are working to ensure Tribes are specifically included in eligibility requirements for more USDA programs and to remove regulatory barriers.

In December 2023, President Joe Biden issued an executive order acknowledging the unique needs and barriers faced by Tribal Nations in accessing federal resources. Biden emphasized the need for federal support programs to be administered in ways that do not unduly burden Tribal Nations.

The NFBC spokesperson noted the importance of a united coalition to identify and advocate for shared priorities, despite the diversity among Tribal Nations and Native producers. The Coalition continues to meet with lawmakers to push for Tribal priorities in the upcoming Farm Bill.

“Indian Country is too diverse to be all things for all people when it comes to the Farm Bill, but there are many areas where Tribes—regardless of location—experience the same barriers in USDA programs that can be improved,” reported one NFBC spokesperson.