Zuni Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program

<p>NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:<br/> The goal of the Zuni Federally-Recognized Tribes Extension Program (Zuni FRTEP) is to improve family welfare and the quality of life on the Zuni Reservation by increasing economic opportunity for livestock producers, farmers and artisans, promoting healthy lifestyles for adults and youth. Program objectives include: (1) Increase knowledge of nutrition and healthy life styles (food security and preservation, as well as continue diabetes education); (2) Revitalize traditional farming and develop a market for crops (3) Assist with establishing community and school gardens and farmers markets; (4) Educate livestock producers on herd health issues and developing a market for their livestock, and (5) Promote youth development, leadership training, and involvement in entrepreneurial activities.
<p>APPROACH:<br/> Traditional 4-H programming in areas of ceramics (pottery), shooting sports, livestock projects, baking, sewing and canning will be conducted on the reservation at club meetings throughout the year. The agent and 4-H volunteer leaders will also conduct special hands-on workshops to assist the youth in completing their projects. 4- H School Enrichment programs include the following: gardening, small enterprise development, nutrition, and health. These programs will be conducted in elementary schools and high school with the help of teachers, community members, and the state extension specialist. The 4-H program would include increased awareness in the community about 4-H and raise club enrollment by 10%. School enrichment numbers would also increase by an anticipated 5%. When teachers and school administrative officials recognize that our enrichment
programs are benchmarked for state educational levels, the expectation is more community support for expansion of school enrichment programs. Youth in Crisis - Assist youth with bullying issues, suicide prevention, and substance abuse using appropriate, age-level educational programs. Training will need to be provided by the state extension specialist along with counselors from the schools and hospital staff to interested community members, various tribal departments, and the FRTEP extension agent. Community meetings will need to be conducted to decide on an approach to each crisis. Meetings with youth will need to be held to get their input and to determine from them what they need and, most importantly, how they feel. Health and Nutrition - Comprehensive diabetes education, basic nutrition, and food safety and preservation are all programs that are currently in high demand by
community members. With the help of the extension home economist and ICAN (Ideas for Cooking and Nutrition) nutrition educators in the McKinley County Cooperative Extension Service, these educational programs are currently being conducted in Zuni. They are hands-on cooking classes enabling community members to learn by doing. With continued support, numbers will increase over the next two years by an anticipated 10%. Basic Agriculture - Herd health programs, Beef and Sheep Quality Assurance programs and sheep shearing school programs will all be hands-on to teach the producer how to properly give a vaccination and how to properly handle their animals in chutes. These programs will also give producers the opportunity to learn to know their animals as individual animals, not just one large herd. It is important to be familiar with each animal for health purposes. Today, sheep shearing is a
dying art and many have forgotten how to shear their sheep and are paying individuals by the head or letting them have the wool to sell. Many years ago, the Zuni were known for their quality wool and lamb. This tradition has not been passed down to the younger generations. Traditional/Organic Farming - Developing test plots, dry land farming, community and school gardens, and farmers markets for trading crops with others will be the focus of traditional and organic farming. The Zuni are traditional people. They do not believe in using chemicals or pesticides on their crops. Programs focusing on traditional farming will be conducted for community members and youth with the assistance of tribal elders and the state extension specialist. The Zuni Conservation Program and Natural Resources has kept a seed bank of traditional Zuni crops and with their help and guidance Cooperative Extension
Service will establish test plots and collect data on how these crops are grown. With the average rain fall of about 9 inches per year, dry land farming will have to be studied and a technique developed to assist Zuni farmers in growing crops. Knowledge of this type of farming from tribal elders and the state specialist will be needed to educate community members and youth.