The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, a federally recognized sovereign nation, awarded $566,240 from the USDA AMS under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, will purchase up to 89,000 pounds of fresh, healthy, and nutritious produce from 35 regional and local socially disadvantaged farmers/producers to help increase their economic resiliency.
The goal of the Seminole Nation Commodity Procurement Program is to target, build and expand economic opportunities for up to thirty-five (35) regional and local Socially Disadvantaged Farmers/Producers and to distribute healthy and nutritious food to about 1,600 Seminole Nation Reservation recipients in our highly diabetic-stricken rural communities during the 24-month grant period.
The selected local socially disadvantaged farmers/producers will provide fresh nutritious foods from local communities, compared to supermarkets that truck in food from faraway places, usually traveling for months. This program allows us to purchase cultural and traditional foods from Indigenous farmers, not available in the local food markets.
The outcome is that the selected farmers/producers will receive regular income with less marketing expenses that will help enrich their lives and their communities. Another asset of this program is to encourage young people to learn gardening and farming to help them economically and to provide healthier foods for their families. The program’s recipients are expected to be less food insecure, consume more nutritious foods resulting in less health-related diseases.