Access to traditional crops is not easily available to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian (EBCI) community. By creating demand for native foods, we will improve food access in our community, while building a specialty market for Cherokee traditional foods. With the increased demand and purchasing power of the LFPA+, EBCI Cooperative Extension plans to grow Cherokee farmers and create new Cherokee owned food businesses to sustain this programming and the food sovereignty of our Tribe.
We aim to offer tribal wide distributions of fresh, foraged, or preserved Cherokee and Appalachian foods for all local members of the EBCI and families raising EBCI Youth. Due to the geographic scope of the Qualla Boundary and economic factors in qualifying for food assistance, many tribal members and tribal employees are slightly over the threshold for food assistance yet cannot access whole traditional foods. Indigenous and Appalachian peoples are more susceptible to diet related disease and poverty, and this working-class group is vulnerable.
Ultimately this program will provide access to traditional EBCI foods for the community who are drastically underserved due to limited income opportunities, purchasing power due to geographic scope, and loss of access for traditional native foods. In tandem, this will provide the opportunity for growers to expand their businesses to meet demand, while encouraging the development of new growers and food business entrepreneurs to finally become economically viable thus sustaining the investment of the LFPA funds for future generations through youth involvement and revitalizing traditional Cherokee and Appalachian foodways.