Case Study by CART

Drought is a consistent issue across the southwestern U.S., and climate change exacerbates its frequency and intensity ( Mankin et. al, 2021 ). Not only does climate change fuel drought in this region through rising temperatures and generally declining precipitation, it also induces irregular weather patterns, including freezing temperatures and hail storms that can decimate fields,posing serious threats to farming in an already challenging environment. Water scarcity issues exacerbated by drought dictate the scale and selection of crops farmers are able to grow in this environment. Equipping new farmers with the knowledge to address these issues is paramount to the longevity of agriculture in the Southwest. 

Young farmers (under the age of 35) account for only 9% of the country’s 3.4 million farmers, signaling a threat to the longevity of a stable workforce of agricultural producers ( Halvorson, 2023 ). This imbalance arises from barriers preventing people from entering the agricultural sector. High property prices impede many from accessing land, especially viable agricultural land with water rights. A wide array of costs to develop the infrastructure of a farm compound this substantial upfront investment. Mentorship is highly valuable in navigating this process, but can often be difficult to find and maintain when farmers have minimal time to spend outside of their work. 

These barriers are heightened for communities underserved by the U.S. government. Centuries of historical oppression continue to produce disparities in agricultural ownership, and intergenerational trauma continues to negatively impact Indigenous farmers’ connections to land ( Horst, 2018 ). Fort Lewis Indian Boarding School, located on the site of the Old Fort, was one of hundreds of boarding schools operated in the United States. These institutions served as a medium for the United States to forcefully take Native American children from their communities and families to assimilate them into Western culture. Boarding schools punished children for speaking their Native languages and practicing their cultural rituals, intentionally attempting to erase the language and culture of Native Americans. Fort Lewis College is actively engaged in reconciliation regarding this history, including efforts to uncover information regarding deaths of Native children at the boarding school. Proactively addressing this history creates an opportunity for collaboration with Indigenous partners. To this end, the FIT Program collaborates with Indigenous food systems experts to center and elevate traditional knowledge and practices that are often relevant to the threats of climate change.

• Promote and discuss drought adaptability in farmer training curriculum that includes  exploration of conventional and Indigenous drought management and adaptation techniques.  

• Minimize agricultural barriers by equipping beginning farmers with the skills, knowledge, and resources to gain confidence in the agricultural sector.

• Uphold the commitment to a reconciliation process through land acknowledgement and collaboration with Indigenous partners.

Image Caption: The Old Fort’s Education Garden pictured from above with the backdrop of the La Plata Mountains. Courtesy of Cory Robinson, Fort Lewis College. 

• Acquiring Technical Knowledge: Alongside Old Fort staff, FIT participants tend to approximately two acres of diversified vegetable production and gain experience planting, cultivating, irrigating, and harvesting crops suited to these semi-arid, high-elevation conditions. Afternoon classes and field trips to local farms supplement and contextualize the knowledge gained through field work. These interdisciplinary classes educate participants on various attributes of farming, from business planning to drought adaptation.
• Land Access and Mentorship: In addition to the FIT Program, the Old Fort offers a Farmer Incubator Program. Designed to mitigate the barrier of land access for beginning farmers, the Old Fort rents one-eighth- to one-quarter- acre plots of developed farmland to participants, complete with access to hand tools, water, irrigation infrastructure, harvest sheds, cooler space, a root cellar, and marketing assistance. This program gives beginning farmers the opportunity to further develop their growing skills and build connections to mentors and future land access before leasing and working on their own land.
• Highlighting Indigenous Agricultural Knowledge (IAK): IAK acknowledges the holistic connection between the environment and people. Agricultural practices are one way of nurturing that connection and developing land-based knowledge and skills. This knowledge has sustained life in the Southwest for time immemorial and operates from deep connection to the culture of Indigenous people. The FIT Program acknowledges the importance of sharing diverse knowledge sources, including IAK, with its participants to best prepare for the resilient agricultural practices necessary to manage an unpredictable future. Through this thoughtful collaboration, FIT participants are immersed in knowledge-sharing and discussion of robust agricultural systems adaptable to an arid and high-elevation environment with Indigenous collaborators. 
• Collaboration with Indigenous Growers: The Old Fort dedicates two plots of land in the FIT growing spaces for collaboration with Indigenous growers. A dryland plot, guided by Talavi Cook, from the Summer clan from Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, Spider clan from Hopi, Bitter Water clan and The Charcoal Streaked Division of the Red Running into the Water clan from the Navajo Nation, and strategically situated in the lowest and wettest section of the FIT fields, grows corn, squash, and melons without irrigation. An irrigated Four Sisters plot, guided by Brandon Francis (Diné), who is Nát'oh dine'é Táchii'nii, born for Tótsohnii, Tódich'ii'nii is his maternal grandfather's clan, Kinłichii'nii is his paternal grandfather's clan, grows squash, beans, tobacco, and corn seed that was brought from the Hopi Mesas where it has been growing for over 4,000 years. These plots serve as educational spaces where collaborators share the TEK they choose to and educate participants on the significance of this knowledge that goes far beyond physical cultivation. Additionally, Mathew White hosts traditional blessing ceremonies at the Old Fort that further foster connection and respect for TEK. 

Image Caption: Farmers in training harvesting broccoli in the brassica plot of the farmer training field. Courtesy of Cory Robinson, Fort Lewis College. 

Though the Old Fort is located in the arid Southwest, a perennial spring on site and access to the La Plata River provide the site with ample water. This situation is a luxury, and training farmers with the tools to manage water scarcity and drought still remains a high priority. Despite the Old Fort’s secure water supply, projects with a focus on drought adaptation, such as the dryland plot, are undertaken and used as learning opportunities for beginning farmers.  

Indigenous collaboration within FIT reveals how TEK can foster resiliency beyond the fields by changing the perspective of agriculture. Many of the current food systems are designed to maximize output, incentivize production, and distance consumers from the environment. IAK promotes connection with the environment and is supported through community-led management. Through this approach, metrics are expanded to explore other definitions of success, including reciprocity with the land and community. Through this lens, success is gauged less through individual achievement and more through supporting the land, ensuring a viable source of healthy food for those nearby, and engaging the community in the work. This community engagement bolsters the agricultural workforce through opportunities for community members to exchange their labor for food and can minimize dependence on conventional practices that are often necessitated by too few hands on too much land. 

These holistic concepts are interwoven in Indigenous languages. In Indigenous languages, singular words can convey the interconnectedness of land, food, and culture. Acknowledging the interwoven nature of all these concepts provides a thorough lens to examine agriculture’s connection to livelihood. At the Old Fort, these languages, primarily Diné, are spoken during introductions, field discussions, and blessing ceremonies by Indigenous FIT participants and partners. Having been directly persecuted at the site of the Old Fort, the revitalization of Native languages provides another opportunity for Indigenous people to reclaim their connection with these grounds. 

Image Caption: Red amaranth going to seed in the Old Fort’s dryland plot. Courtesy of Cory Robinson, Fort Lewis College. 

• Grow the number of Indigenous FIT participants by addressing housing and transportation barriers to the program.

• Expand the scale of collaboration with Indigenous partners by increasing Indigenous voices, perspectives, and frequency of collaborative events. 

• Utilize more land at the Old Fort to develop Indigenous-led growing spaces where co-management guides partnership.

• Further efforts in language revitalization classes at the Old Fort and maintain a strong connection to on-campus programs.

Image Caption: Historic buildings from the Fort Lewis Army Post in the backdrop of tomatoes and peppers. Courtesy of Cory Robinson, Fort Lewis College.