Before Europeans settled the Americas, people here lived with a very different relationship to farming and food. In the face of climate change challenges, government policy has recently been supportive of funding and partnering with Native American tribes in working locally to change our relationship with the land. Tribes have had to overcome systemic racism of low support and lack of funding to develop key programs.   

The Seven Generations approach to food includes eating foods seasonally, broadening the range of foods that we eat, increasing the proportion of plants in our diets, choosing foods that are not genetically modified or processed, foraging, preparing and serving foods with gratitude and reverence, and giving back to the land. 

I wonder if we could include a New Year’s resolution to improve our relationship with food, inspired by the traditions of living on this land that were practiced for thousands of years before ‘modern’ farming methods were introduced? 

 

Interested in learning more about the Love One Another initiative? Visit the archives.