photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Many people are helping with the Douglas County Food Policy Council's Indigenous Food System Study and Action Plan, including, from left, Terra Trujillo, Robert Hicks Jr., Star Her Many Horses, Lee Meisel, Connie Fiorella Fitzpatrick and Christina Haswood, pictured on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024.

To enhance many aspects of the local Indigenous food sector, the Douglas County Food Policy Council is undertaking a yearlong project that will include gathering information from various Native Americans in the field.

The project, the Indigenous Food System Study and Action Plan, is in the early stages of development by the council in partnership with Haskell Indian Nations University. Other to-be-determined partners are expected to join the effort.

Food Systems Specialist Connie Fiorella Fitzpatrick said the council is hoping to gather stories and data to try to figure out the needs of Indigenous entrepreneurs, like farmers and chefs. The council also wants to incorporate the voices of elders to communicate their cultures and histories.

“We’re in a crucial time for (elders’ cultures and histories) to be passed down to the next generation, so for that reason I believe this is a very timely project,” Fitzpatrick said.

The Douglas County Food Policy Plan, introduced in 2017, offers strategic recommendations to shape the local food system’s development. The phrase “food system” describes the journey food takes from field to plate and eventually how it is disposed of in the county.

As the plan nears the end of its 10-year framework, council members are seeking ways to address knowledge gaps and enhance inclusivity in policy-making.

“A lot of the policies and objectives will still stand,” Fitzpatrick said. “But to support the advancement of those gap sectors, I’m going to be supporting the Food Policy Council on providing studies like the Indigenous Food System study and Action Plan to fill those gaps.”

Robert Hicks Jr., a farmer at Nanasoohannena Farm, said what he’s the most excited about with this project is the community setting an example of talking about Indigenous food systems.

“There are so many things we can talk and think about in ways of helping our health, and not just Indigenous health, but public health, and how we can really use food as a medicine,” Hicks said. He said that many who have gone back to traditional diets have seen improvements in their health, and incorporating this knowledge is essential to a healthier overall food system.

The City of Lawrence’s equity resources page says American Indians are 2.28% of the population. The Lawrence Indigenous population represents at least 145 different nations, said Food Systems intern Star Her Many Horses.

Her Many Horses is an Indigenous leader and student at Haskell with roots in the Oglala Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho, Taos Pueblo, Meskwaki, and Leech Lake Ojibwe nations.

“(The study and action plan) aligns with my personal goals of community involvement and being an advocate for the Indigenous population,” Her Many Horses said. “Growing up I learned how important food is to people and the importance of keeping the traditional knowledge and teachings and how important that is to our health.”

Her Many Horses said that she wants to reach out to tribes in Kansas for their knowledge about their own food systems and how they support their community. As the project continues, she said the council hopes to expand to the national level and hear from tribes outside the state about their knowledge of different food products and operations.

“We can use that information and implement what we learned to this plan and identify how we can better support the Native community here in Lawrence,” Her Many Horses said.

Fitzpatrick said this initiative has received local and national support. The council recently met with Sean Sherman, an award-winning chef, author and activist, about the project. Sherman is the founder of North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems, which has a mission to promote Indigenous food education and access. The organization has communicated support for the council’s project and hopes to help the study and action plan move forward, Fitzpatrick said.

“We’re really excited because I think the right partners are coming in strong and people really want this,” Fitzpatrick said.

In addition to closing the gap between the current Food Policy Plan and Indigenous voices, the council is looking to tackle mental health and suicide prevention among farmers.

“There’s a lot of entrepreneurship support for farmers for soil health and transitioning to sustainable agriculture, but there’s not very much support on farmer health,” Fitzpatrick said. “We truly need to support farmer mental health to continue our local food system because they are the ones leading this work.”

The council hopes to explore other ways to improve the Douglas County Food Policy Plan. Her Many Horses said adopting the Indigenous Food System Study and Action Plan will better our local communities.

“I think the inclusion of Indigenous voices will have a great impact on the Lawrence food system,” Her Many Horses said. “We’re continuing to learn more about our own teachings and regaining that information about sustainability and sustainable agricultural practices, and that will be really beneficial to the Lawrence community.”