Section SAF.05.03 — Food Access

(a) Healthy Foods. The Tribe supports access to healthy, minimally-processed, foods such as through local farmers markets.

(b) Local Food Production.

(1) The Tribe supports local gardening efforts through work to till and cultivate gardens with community members, provide support through tribal summer youth programs to enhance these gardens, and to support the distribution of seeds and plant starts for community members.

(2) The Tribe supports food production on tribal lands through the set-aside of areas designated for orchards and food production.

(c) Traditional Foods.

(1) As our people require traditional foods for our good health and sustenance in accordance with our covenant with the Creator and our ability to sustain ourselves and ecosystems, the Tribe supports ongoing traditional harvests of wild rice, maple syrup, medicinal plants, fish, game and deer on tribal lands pursuant to the Fish and Wildlife Ordinance, Chapter ENV.01, and the Forestry Ordinance, Chapter ENV.02.

(2) The Tribe reaffirms the obligation of sustainable harvesting in accordance with our laws and our traditions.

(3) Traditional foods, including game animals, may be provided for community feasts and tribal programs in a manner which insures their sanitation, but provides for access to these foods.

(d) Traditional Agriculture.

(1) The Tribe supports the restoration of knowledge about and appropriate implementation of traditional agriculture and harvesting techniques.

(2) The Tribe supports the restoration of traditional crop varieties to the Stockbridge-Munsee people and beyond, including corn, beans, squash, tobacco, and melons.

(3) The Tribe supports community seed banking for the restoration of traditional crops for our people.

(4) The Tribe supports the use of traditional and/or organic fertilizer methods and wishes to promote such methods with extension agencies, tribal colleges, and nonprofit organizations on the reservation.

(e) Animal Husbandry and Aquaculture. The Tribe supports the use of sustainable practices in relation to livestock, poultry, fisheries, and aquaculture activities, such as a pasture-based system or a aquaponics system that create symbiotic environment.

(f) Local Food Processing. The Tribe supports local food processing on the reservation to enhance local food production and access to traditional foods for our communities. This includes educational efforts to teach basic canning and freezing techniques for traditional foods, drying, and preparation to ensure these foods are available for tribal community members.

(g) Sustainable Practices. The Tribe supports sustainable agricultural practices and the adoption of appropriate of standards regulating pollution from agriculture and overuse of natural resources.