TWU Uplifts Food and Seed Sovereignty in New Mexico

Thanks to a GATHER Food Sovereignty Grant from First Nations Development Institute, Tewa Women United has distributed 15 garden beds to women and families in and around the Española area and surrounding tribal communities. We also partnered with MoGro Mobile Grocery to distribute 25 MoGro packages to families in tribal communities, providing healthy and local foods for these families.

We also hosted an online panel on Pueblo Women in Farming held on March 24, 2022. Forty participants engaged in conversation with our fantastic panelists: Tiana Suazo (Taos Pueblo), Kayleigh Warren (Santa Clara Pueblo), Reyna Banteah (Zuni Pueblo). The event, focused on rematriating seeds as well as food and seed sovereignty, was facilitated by Chasity Salvador (Acoma Pueblo).

The panel was a space for Pueblo women farmers to talk openly, lovingly, and strategically on their work as farmers within their community, and outside of their community. Topics discussed how to support these women in their work, the future of farming in New Mexico, the challenges of this work, and how this work contributes to the collective well-being and healing of our communities. You can watch and listen in to the conversation here on our YouTube channel. 

GATHER Food Sovereignty Grants began as part of First Nations’ three-year GATHER project funded with generous support from The Indigenous Peoples Fund at Tides Foundation and The 11th Hour Project of The Schmidt Family Foundation, along with additional organizational funders and individual donors. These grants support work that contributes to building a national movement that will fulfill a vision of Native food systems that are self-directed, well-resourced, and supported by community policies and systems. Learn more about the other grantees and funded projects.

(Top photo: Tiana Suazo, Taos Pueblo)