A $7 million investment by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture will go toward research projects at tribal-serving Colleges and Universities to address specific needs of tribal communities.
"This funding supports crucial, innovative research projects at tribal-serving Colleges and Universities to address the specific needs of their communities," NIFA Director Carrie Castille said in a Nov. 10 release. "The research projects focus on high-priority areas such as protecting reservation forests or monitoring water quality to promote sustainability and climate-smart agriculture and forestry on Tribal lands."
Colleges in the 1994 Land-grant University System receive assistance to further their scientific endeavors through the Tribal College Research Grant Program, USDA NIFA officials said in a release.
Castille added that other funded projects are focused on food and nutrition security, bison herd productivity, and invasive species.
According to the USDA, the $7 million is split between the Tribal College Research Grant Program and NIFA's New Beginning for Tribal Students.
An approximate $4.3 will cover Tribal College Research Grant Program projects such as College of Menominee Nation's partnership with University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Menominee Tribe's Historic Preservation Office to reclaim Menominee culture, food sovereignty, and community wellbeing and Fort Peck Community College's studies on low glycemic potatoes' effectiveness against diabetes and obesity.
The other $3.4 million will fund New Beginning for Tribal Students projects, including, but not limited to Kansas State University's efforts to provide Native American students with equitable access to higher education, Virginia Polytechnic Institute's Student Retention Through Experiential Learning and Culturally Competent Mentoring Program, and South Dakota State University's plan to graduate more Native American nurses.
"NIFA's New Beginning for Tribal Students provides competitive grants to Land-grant Colleges and Universities specifically to support Tribal students," Castille said. "Funding in this program may include recruiting, tuition, experiential learning, student services, tutoring, counseling, academic advising, and more, as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture."
