A branch of the Bishop Paiute Tribe, our goal is to apply community self-determination to the local food system, increasing availability of and access to healthy food. The Bishop Paiute Tribe’s Food Sovereignty Program is working to increase access to and awareness of healthy, traditional, environmentally-responsible, community-grown food that sustains an independent and resilient program which acknowledges, preserves, and strengthens existing community food systems and tribal sovereignty. Initiated in February 2015, the FSP consists of:
1) a .5 acre garden located near the Paiute-Shoshone Cultural Center, which serves as an educational site and a production Farm;
2) a .75 acre garden located near the Bishop Elder's Building which includes a propagation greenhouse and free-range chickens;
3) a Tribal Community Market, which provides a direct producer-to-consumer outlet. FSP will host the Community Market again this year and will continue to strengthen Farm production in growing FSP’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Through continued outreach and engagement with youth, community members and Elder’s the Bishop Paiute Tribe’s Food Sovereignty Program will continue to inspire the next generation of organic gardeners, broad scale organic farmers and tending the wild by working alongside community leaders to increase education regarding environmental growing practices, traditional ecological knowledge, traditional foods and stewardship of open-pollinated food varieties. To further strengthen our community food system, the FSP maintains a small seed library and is managing a Seed Saving Cooperative project that started in collaboration with Rowen White, a Seed Keeper from the Mohawk community of Akwasane, and founder of Sierra Seeds. Engaging both individual community growers and other local food projects, the FSP Seed Cooperative encourages community seed saving and seed education. Working towards the revitalization of bio-regional adaptation of crops thus building a more resilient, Native food system that empowers individuals through increasing knowledge of plant adaptation, seed saving and storage for the Bishop Paiute Tribal community is an annual event. Community members are encouraged to gather seeds from their gardens to replenish the following years seed bank for community distribution.
