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Nevada Federally Recognized Tribe Extension Program

Objective

Goal: Provide for the sustainability of Nevada Indian Reservation agriculture.

<OL type="a"> <LI>Alfalfa hay production. Combined efforts will be made with the existing Nevada Hay Update to offer programs on the participating reservations.<LI> Alternative crop production. Producers will participate with UNCE faculty to establish Alternative Crop Trials. <LI> Irrigation technology and management. Producers will learn irrigation water measurement techniques and implement new irrigation technologies. <LI>Noxious weed control. FRTEP will coordinate each year, on the participating reservations, weed identification and pesticide applicator training and certification for Native Americans. <LI>Livestock management. Alternating from year to year with the Alfalfa Hay Updates, NVFRTEP will hold cattle clinics and horse management workshops on the participating reservations. Producers will learn techniques to improve their net profit. <LI>Range management. Producers will learn and implement Range monitoring and management techniques. <LI> Energy alternatives. Reservation farmer/ranchers will acquire knowledge about the use of solar and wind technology for energy production.
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Goal: Reservation youth will develop the knowledge, skills and motivation to become successful Agricultural Producers, Natural Resource Managers and Community Leaders. <OL type="a"> <LI> Increase 4-H participation on the target reservations. FRTEP will provide Ag and Natural resource education and leadership development programs for 4-H members and Adult leaders. <LI> Increase agricultural, food safety, and nutrition to 4-H youth. The core curriculum for 4-H youth in club and after-school programs will include components on agriculture production, natural resource conservation, food safety, and nutrition.
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Goal: Improve food security and health in Nevada Indian Country with a program emphasis on the utilization of traditional foods. <OL type="a"> <LI>Provide nutrition education to elementary school youth on the target reservations. FRTEP will provide the Veggies for Kids program curriculum. <LI>Provide nutrition education to Reservation 4-H Youth. The core curriculum for reservation 4-H youth will include components on food safety and nutrition. <LI>Develop an adult volunteer corps to promote food safety, nutrition and the use of traditional foods.

More information

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: University of Nevada Cooperative Extension ("UNCE") will provide education and training in agricultural planning, management, and production, natural resource conservation, food security, alternative energy, and 4-H youth development to Washoe (Washeshu), Shoshone (Newe) and Paiute (Numa) tribal residents of the Duck Valley Shoshone-Paiute, Walker River Paiute, and the Pyramid Lake Paiute reservations located in Northern Nevada. These are the three largest reservations in the Nevada tribal land base. This proposal has been developed collaboratively through formal focus group sessions and key informant consultations with the tribal leadership and individual agricultural producers and tribal residents on the target reservations as well as federal agency officials working with these reservations. The proposed project is also based upon research conducted between 2005 and 2007 by UNCE faculty, with the assistance of the Indian Agriculture Council and selected tribal government officials, using survey data collected on ten Indian reservations in Nevada, Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. Nevada's overall economy is largely driven by tourism and gambling; economic activities that are not currently viable revenue sources for Indian Country in Nevada. The livestock and forage industries in Nevada are essential to the economic stability of rural Nevada Indian reservations. State and federal assistance in sustaining and enhancing these industries is essential, as is the diversification of agricultural enterprises on reservation farms and ranches. Of all ethnic groups, Native American children are at greatest risk for obesity, attendant development of diabetes and other chronic diseases. Findings from the Strong Heart Study and related studies show that, in Native Americans, intakes of vegetables and fruits are significantly less than recommended, and the variety is limited. The use of traditional foods - derived largely from plant sources, fish and lean wild game - is waning. This results in poor nutrition and a loss of sense of place due to the erosion of historic and cultural traditions. It is recognized that exposures in youth can help shape food preferences later in life. The agriculture education, youth leadership, and alternative energy components of this project will advance CSREES Strategic Goals 2 and 3 by enhancing the competitiveness and sustainability of reservation rural economies and improving the economic opportunities on rural reservations. The nutrition and food safety components will advance CSREES Strategic Goal 4 by enhancing the protection and safety of the Nation's food supply through increased reservation food security. The natural resource conservation and youth leadership components will advance CSREES Strategic Goal 6 by enhancing the protection of the natural resource base on the target reservations.
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APPROACH: This program will use traditional one-on-one interactions and small group discussions as the two primary program delivery methods. These methods have proven acceptable to tribal learners and have been successful in developing needs assessments and curriculum developments such as the Veggies for Kids curriculum for Native American youth. In addition, they have fostered communication, interaction and trust between UNCE faculty and staff and the Native American communities and individuals participating FRTEP and UNCE programs. These delivery methods will be enhanced through video conferencing technology wherever feasible to expand the reach of project programming. Interactive video will be used as a distance education teaching tool. Video conferencing units are located on the University of Nevada Reno campus, in most Extension offices, and on two of the targeted reservations; Duck Valley and Pyramid Lake. With video conferencing technology University experts are able to meet with producers on a remote reservation for a face-to-face learning experience without either leaving their local community. Other proven program delivery methods will also be used to deliver program educational activities. Field demonstration projects and "hands on" workshops have been successfully used in rangeland monitoring, and riparian improvement workshops, and will be utilized in project programming. For example, native seed plots and salt cedar control plots have been established with producers and will be enhanced and expanded. UNCE faculty members are creating enterprise crop and livestock budgets that will be used in educating farmers about the economics of production costs and returns associated with their agricultural enterprises. These budgets will provide a basis for evaluating the overall productivity and profitability of farming operations on the target reservations and provide a comparison with similar operations on other reservations and rural Nevada counties. Wherever feasible we will produce and provide web learning experiences in Ag and Natural Resources and youth development. UNCE Area Livestock specialist, Ron Torell, has created and manages the Extension virtual "Coffee Shop". Producers join the coffee shop group via their home computer and can have their problem solved or question answered by Ron, or livestock specials from six states, or even another rancher who may have experienced the same problem. The project team will work to bring these resources to the target reservations. Youth nutrition programming will involve ten 50-minute in-school nutrition classes to second and third grade students.

Investigators
Flavin, Frank
Institution
University of Nevada - Reno
Start date
2009
End date
2013
Project number
NEVN-2009-00616
Accession number
217766
Commodities