Awakening the Seeds in Native Youth: Native Farm to School Evaluation Report

From 2023 to 2025, First Nations supported 16 Tribal and Native-led community partners from across 10 states, all working to ensure that Native youth are able to experience their traditional foods, foodways, and culture. The partners represented a diverse spectrum of Native communities across the country, from agricultural cooperatives, to educational institutions, to tribal governments and corporations and Native-led organizations. They collectively focused on engaging youth, revitalizing ancestral food practices, and strengthening community food sovereignty through innovative, culturally rooted initiatives.

Written by Leah Simeon (Spokane), in collaboration with Sister Sky Inc.; Nicole Benally; Puanani Apoliona-Brown (Kānaka Maoli/Native Hawaiian); and Warren Borja Martín Austin (CHamoru), along with First Nations staff, this evaluation report outlines the community partners’ objectives, timelines, outcomes, and impacts across six food sovereignty focus areas, including language, traditional foodways, community, traditional foods, land stewardship, and traditional knowledge.