Giving Compass' Take:

• Food Tank highlights 17 indigenous global agricultural organizations that promote indigenous food systems through research, education, and increased awareness. 

• How can philanthropy better support indigenous communities and agriculture? 

• According to this article, indigenous communities are better at preserving biodiversity. 

In honor of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, Food Tank is highlighting 17 global organizations that promote indigenous food systems.

These organizations are based across the world and focus on food sovereignty, indigenous nutrition, and protecting traditional agriculture. Some of them are small—operating in a single U.S. state—while others function globally. And many are focused on ways to improve policies or to better share practices.

The First Nations Development Institute recognizes one of the major indigenous food problems in the United States: “Right now only three-tenths of one percent of foundation funding goes to Native causes, while Native Americans represent over two percent of the U.S. population. This disparity is compounded by the fact that the Native population has some of the highest rates of poverty, food insecurity, diet-related illness, and the poorest educational outcomes.” That disparity is not unique to the U.S. and it makes the passing on of indigenous food traditions more important than ever for expanding indigenous food sovereignty.

Read the full article on the 17 indigenous agricultural programs by Alex Bezahler at Food Tank.