Project Overview

Reports

Commodities

Target Pests

Practices

This proposed project will promote IPM in new places -  “to connect IPM with food safety”, promote IPM in tribal communities, enhance the acceptance of IPM, strengthen the networks and develop new scientists in tribal communities. Food safety is effectively integrated pest management (IPM), as it relates to core concepts of IPM and the societal requirements for safe food production, processing and preparation. This novel approach will cement and expand on existing relationships to traditionally underserved communities as a model for delivering integrated IPM content to tribal communities. This project demonstrates a new opportunity and collaboration that may require fiscal nurturing to be successful, and this effort may serve as a pathway and model for how others can engage and deliver integrated programs for the benefit of indigenous peoples. This novel approach will support resilience and public health within tribal communities and foster enduring relationships that will continue beyond the life of the grant.

Arizona is the only U.S. state in which more than half of all farmers and ranchers are Native Americans. While quality curricula are available, there is a current need for more culturally sensitive and appropriate training on the topic of food safety that goes beyond the classroom setting. Native growers embrace specific cultural practices associated with produce farming and food manufacturing/processing that are relevant to their status as sovereign nations. No training of this kind currently exists for farmers and other stakeholders on tribal lands.

Our proposal is aligned with needs specified by local indigenous stakeholders and the priorities of the National IPM Roadmap, and the Western IPM Center, including identified Regional Priorities in: 1) IPM in New Places, 2) IPM for Indigenous, Insular and Isolated People, and 3) IPM Culture and Capacity. We will collaborate with established tribal stakeholder groups in at least 3 tribal nations to reach out to new targeted stakeholders to identify education needs related to food safety concepts including human health and hygiene and water quality, IPM, and other public health issues. We will work directly with tribal environmental health professionals and external expert collaborators to implement education to build capacity and improve conditions. We will focus on training and providing materials to tribal educators and agencies who can enhance the credibility and sustainability of our efforts. We will also provide opportunities to mentor tribal students in the University of Arizona SaferFoodCats program to grow into future educators and leaders. This project will benefit more than one state: AZ, NM, UT and CA.

Expected outcomes include: 1) improved awareness and knowledge of food safety practices and solutions to protect public health and reduce food-borne illnesses; 2) cultivated positive attitude toward adopting food safety, IPM and public heath best management practices, and 3) improved engagement with underserved stakeholder audiences challenged by food safety and pest issues. We anticipate that lessons learned in this project will also be shared with other tribes and Extension scientists through the WERA-1017 multistate project work group, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, and other partner organizations, multiplying our impacts.

This proposal will promote IPM in new places - "to connect IPM with food safety", and promote IPM in tribal communities, enhance the acceptance of IPM, strengthen the networks and develop new scientists as future lead in tribal communities. We will accomplish these Regional Priorities by the integration, dissemination, and application of food safety and IPM knowledge in Indigenous Communities to improve the lives and welfare of tribal members. Our project is a direct response to significant and ongoing request for education and support from tribal community health leaders.

This pilot project will work over the course of one year to accomplish the following objectives:

Objective 1: Work collaboratively with established tribal stakeholder groups within Arizona Tribal Communities to identify local food safety, IPM and public health training priorities.

Objective 2: Develop and deliver a series of in-person and hybrid workshops on culturally sensitive integrated food safety and pest management to tribal communities in Arizona, with invitations extended to tribes from California, Utah, and New Mexico.

Objective 3: Develop audience-specific Food Safety and IPM-related educational materials / information delivery systems that provide tribal stakeholders with timely information about effective Food Safety and IPM strategies (e.g. radio transcripts and Extension publications).

Objective 4: Foster new and ongoing working relationships with tribal Extension agents and tribal collaborators and continue to improve our capacity to address key issues beyond the term of this project.