Native food expo highlights resilience amid federal funding cuts

According to Underscore Native News, Indigenous food producers gathered in Seattle Oct.1-3 for the inaugural Native Grown and Gathered Food Expo, organized by Tahoma Peak Solutions. The event drew more than 500 attendees, including farmers, chefs and youth from regional tribes, to share food, culture and connections centered on the theme “feeding the future.”

Organizers Valerie Segrest and Nora Frank-Buckner said the expo aimed to strengthen Indigenous food systems, but future gatherings remain uncertain following federal budget cuts. The U.S. Department of Agriculture revoked funding for programs supporting local and tribal food producers, including those relied on by Yakama Nation Farms. Segrest said the cuts eliminated about $700,000 in planned support for small Native farms, adding that future events may depend on restoring that funding.