How the Navajo Nation Is Reclaiming Food Sovereignty
Mobile cooking classes, educational farms, and social media are transforming the food deserts that have long affected the Navajo Nation. For generations, residents of the Navajo Nation have struggled with food insecurity and limited access to fresh, unprocessed foods. This issue traces back to colonial history, when Indigenous communities were denied their food rights and forcibly displaced from their lands. The situation worsened after the Navajo people were returned to their lands following their imprisonment at the Fort Sumner prison camp in the late 1800s, where they became dependent on food rations provided by the US government. The impacts of systemic discrimination and slow violence have shaped food infrastructures within the Navajo Nation ever since. As a result, processed foods have become embedded in daily life, and health advocates are concerned about their negative effects. The prevalence of processed foods, compounded by poverty and the erosion of traditional knowledge around growing and foraging local foods, has contributed to rising rates of diabetes and other health issues. Women like Denisa Livingston, elected as the Slow Food International Indigenous Councilor, are leading efforts to combat these challenges. Livingston advocates for a junk food tax specific to the Navajo Nation and promotes increased nutritional diversity through traditional food practices. Rather than shaming individuals for consuming processed foods, especially in the context of poverty and limited access to whole foods or kitchen appliances, Livingston and other advocates emphasize the need to resist the colonial mindset that has left many feeling powerless. The goal is to empower communities to reclaim their food sovereignty and health through education and cultural revitalization.
