Amid Ongoing Threats to Local Food Systems, Alaska Native and Rural Alaskan Leaders Imagine Alternatives

Over 3,000 tribal farmers in Odisha are using the System of Rice Intensification (SRI)—an organic method that uses 92% less seed, no standing water, and traditional formulations—to double their rice yields, increase incomes, eliminate dependence on expensive chemicals and moneylenders, and revive 70+ indigenous rice varieties while improving soil health.

Tribal nations across the U.S., supported by the Intertribal Buffalo Council and adaptive federal grants, have rebuilt bison herds totaling roughly 25,000 animals on tribal lands—restoring a critical food source, with programs distributing tens of thousands of pounds of buffalo meat annually to tribal communities.

Desde Mi Huerto operates a seed bank that for 20 years has produced over 100 Caribbean-adapted varieties, allowing farmers and communities to access local seeds at affordable prices when other sources fail, thereby preserving agricultural diversity and strengthening food sovereignty.

In Dandabazar, a community-wide shift to commercial cauliflower farming was supported by local government seed distribution and subsidies for modern tools. This transformed a food-insecure hill village into a recognized vegetable-producing hub, enabling individual farmers to grow their businesses.

The Rye Resurgence Project worked with San Luis Valley farmers to switch from water-intensive crops to drought-tolerant rye, saving per acre over half their prior water use. Since 2023, thousands of acres of rye have been planted in the valley, and hundreds of thousands of pounds of rye have been sold, sustaining a thriving local grain economy that connects farmers, millers, and bakeries.

Indigenous communities in Nepal use traditional earthen storage bins called dehari—made from locally available clay, husk, and dung—that naturally regulate temperature and moisture to protect grains and seeds from extreme heat, pests, and floods without electricity. The success of this food-preservation method has increased local food security and seed diversity across smallholder farming communities.

The InterTribal Buffalo Council coordinated the transfer of more than 1,500 buffalo to over 20 tribal nations in 2025, growing a tribally managed herd network that has moved more than 25,000 animals across 22 states and enabled cultural revitalization, food sovereignty, and ecological restoration in Native communities.

Disabled farmers in Kashmir are adapting agricultural practices through locally-fabricated tool modifications, adjusted work timing, and traditional soil/seed management techniques that reduce physical labor by 15-50% and enable them to continue farming despite increasing climate stress.

Farmers are adapting to changing climate effects by fusing traditional Hawaiian practices with new, regenerative agricultural techniques to save soils, streams, and reefs.

Prescribed burn associations in South Dakota bring together ranchers to conduct controlled fires that have successfully cleared nearly 9,500 acres of invasive Eastern red cedar trees, restoring native grasslands while doubling the economic value of treated ranch land.