from the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development |
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JAFSCD is the world’s only community-supported journal. JAFSCD content is open access (free) thanks to the generous support of our shareholders: the JAFSCD Shareholder Consortium, Library Shareholders, a growing number of Individual Shareholders, and our six JAFSCD Partners: |
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Revitalizing Indigenous food systems through research and knowledge-sharing |
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TRIBAL FOOD SYSTEMS RESEARCH FELLOW PAPER |
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Indigenous communities worldwide are striving to reclaim, revitalize and preserve their languages. Through these initiatives come a reconnection to their cultures and a renewed relationship with the land. In a new JAFSCD article, Restoring an Onkwehonwehnéha ecosystem, Jasmine R. Jimerson shares her journey and highlights the critical work being done at Akwesasne Freedom School (AFS) in Akwesasne, New York, to integrate Indigenous food systems, ecological restoration, and language revitalization in a way that strengthens both cultural identity and environmental sustainability.
AFS, a Mohawk-language immersion school, has been at the forefront of rebuilding Indigenous knowledge systems by reconnecting students and families with their natural environment. Through immersive education in food sovereignty, ecological stewardship, and ceremonial practices, AFS provides a replicable model for other Indigenous communities. Jimerson’s research underscores the importance of land-based learning in restoring traditional ways of life and sustaining Indigenous languages.
KEY FINDINGS
Ecosystem Reconnection through Language and Culture: Reconnecting Onkwehonwehnéha to the natural environment of our ecosystem fosters cultural perspectives in learning.
Indigenous Food Sovereignty Strengthens Community Health: Reconnecting with traditional food systems improves physical, mental, and spiritual well-being while fostering the self-sufficiency of Indigenous communities.
Multigenerational Learning is Essential: Programs like Otsi’náhkwakon (In the Nest) engage parents and children in simultaneous language learning, ensuring that fluency is passed down through generations.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE, AND RESEARCH - Support and fund land-based Indigenous education models to revitalize language and culture.
- Promote Indigenous food sovereignty initiatives as a pathway to healthier communities.
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Develop policies that protect and expand access to land for Indigenous learning and environmental restoration.
- Encourage intergenerational learning and community development through land-based immersion education models.
SHARE ON YOUR SOCIALS
Language, land, and culture are deeply connected. Akwesasne Freedom School supports Indigenous knowledge and food systems as keys to the wellness, sustainability, and resilience of Indigenous communities. Read the new JAFSCD article by Jasmine R. Jimerson about her experience of how Indigenous communities are reconnecting with their ecosystems. #IndigenousKnowledge #FoodSovereignty #LanguageRevitalization #IndigenousLanguageImmersion @otsinahkwakon
Read the entire @JAFSCD article for free: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2025.141.030 Photo above: Students of Otsi’náhkwakon harvesting green corn. Photo credit: Otsi’náhkwakon. |
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SEEKING NEW JAFSCD PARTNERS
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JAFSCD would appreciate your assistance in finding one or more new JAFSCD Partners to support its transformative work — emphasizing accessibility, equity, and engagement, and progressive editorial policies such as triple-rigor* and positionality or reflexivity statements. Other JAFSCD efforts include our Food Policy and Practice Briefs program, Voices of the Grassroots essays, author mentorship programs, and the Indigenous Food Sovereignty Editorial Circle and its new quarterly column. The additional income from additional partners (@ US$10,000 annually) would support these efforts and allow us to bring a new editor-in-chief on board. This is an advantageous time, as we are preparing to migrate JAFSCD to a new peer-review and publishing platform (Scholastica).
We would like additional JAFSCD Partners to join our current prominent partners:
- Food Systems Research Center at The University of Vermont
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future
- Kwantlen Polytechnic University's Institute for Sustainable Food Systems
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The Inter-institutional Network for Food, Agriculture and Sustainability (INFAS)
- Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) & the University of North Carolina Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (in a joint partnership)
We’d like to recruit a partner in the Midwest or West Coast of the U.S., as well as one outside of North America. Moreover, we would like to add a national or international nonprofit organization, especially one that represents the interests of less privileged voices.
Please contact Duncan Hilchey if you are engaged with an organization that might be interested in becoming an ongoing JAFSCD Partner. He can provide additional information to share with colleagues or you can share this info sheet.
JAFSCD has great potential to contribute to a better world, and having a talented editor-in-chief is a key to unleashing it. Please help us find one or two new JAFSCD Partners to make this happen.
* Credit for the triple-rigor concept goes to the late Christine Porter of the University of Wyoming; see her 10-minute presentation here.
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SHAREHOLDER ANNOUNCEMENTS |
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The successful candidate will develop and lead externally funded research and extension programs that support and strengthen the viability of the New Jersey agricultural sector and individual farms. Through active engagement with the agricultural community, the Specialist will identify existing and emerging opportunities and needs, conduct applied research to assess what technical assistance and policies would help farmers take advantage of these opportunities, and provide educational outreach in the agricultural community across different scales of operation, commodities, and production systems.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS OR TO APPLY |
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The Department of Agricultural Economics, Rural Sociology, and Education (AESE) at The Pennsylvania State University is seeking candidates for an Extension Program Specialist who will conduct Extension programs, develop enterprise budgets, and create and update publications for the Penn State “Ag Alternative” series. The role includes supporting research projects and offering expert advice on risk management. The candidate will effectively build solid connections with stakeholders and their organizations. This position requires a master’s degree plus three years of relevant experience or equivalent work experience.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS OR TO APPLY |
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This email is sent to you as a notification of the newest JAFSCD articles and other occasional JAFSCD news. |
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JAFSCD is an open access, community-supported journal! Your library, program, or organization can become a shareholder to help keep JAFSCD's content available to all, regardless of their resources. We welcome anyone to become an individual shareholder; donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
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