USDA working with Tribal leaders to purchase local bison and give them back to Native communities

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - 26.3% of Native Americans in South Dakota report suffering from food insecurity. On Thursday, Oct. 12, the USDA announced a historic tribal food sovereignty pilot project.

The program will allow for the purchase of Bison in South Dakota and in turn distribute those back into Native communities in the area. Through partnerships with tribal leaders and producers across the country- millions of dollars worth of food will be distributed to tribes, food banks, and schools. The USDA made an effort to take the needs of tribes into consideration, from the right time of year to buy a bison to the correct ways to use all of the buffalo after it’s killed. The program is only in the beginning stages.

“This particular program is for the commodities or the FIDIPA program on Indian reservations. We are starting there, starting small with the pilot, and hoping to learn some good lessons to expand our purchasing as we go forward,” says Heather Dawn Thompson, the USDA Office of Tribal Relations Director.

With help from both tribal bison producers and local producers, the USDA plan to expand the program regionally, making sure all food purchased in South Dakota, was raised in South Dakota.

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