Forty-three high school and college students representing 15 Native American tribes from across the United States gathered at the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville, Arkansas for the Inaugural Summer Leadership Summit for Native Youth in Food and Agriculture, held July 21 - 25. The students spent a week immersed in an intensive one-of-a-kind program designed to build the next generation of food and agriculture leaders in Indian Country.
Summer participants attended day-long classroom sessions on a variety of topics including:
• Business management and planning
• Legal issues and land tenure
• Risk management for farms and ranches
• Financial management
• Leadership and career development
In addition to classroom lectures by leading experts in government, agriculture, and agribusiness, students participated in small group business planning exercises designed to give hands-on experience in complex decision-making. Field trips to Sam's Club World Headquarters, Tyson Foods Discovery Center, one of Walmart's regional distribution centers, and the Fayetteville farmers market provided students with an inside look at multiple aspects of the food and agriculture business, from the farm to the consumer.
"There is a renewed interest in our young people in food and agriculture, but they need help to grow into positions in leadership within their tribes and communities. This summit is designed to give these young men and women the skills and information they need to continue the rich traditions of agriculture in their tribes. The bright and motivated students we met gave the brightest possible future for Indian Country," said Janie Hipp, (Chikasaw) Director of the Initiative and organizer of the event.
The Summer Leadership Summit for Native Youth in Food and Agriculture will be an annual event hosted by the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative at The University Arkansas School of Law with generous sponsorship provided by the USDA Risk Management Agency and the Farm Credit Council in Washington D.C. Additional partners for the summit include the Intertribal Agriculture Council, FFA, and the U.S Department of Agriculture. In addition to housing the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative, the University Of Arkansas School Of Law is home to the Nation's only advanced law degree program in Food and Agriculture Law.
Additional information about the Summit can be found on the IFAI website: www.law.uark.edu/Ifai.[[In-content Ad]]
