FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative at the University of Arkansas School of Law will host a program for Native American youth in the summer of 2014. The Summer Leadership Summit: Native Youth in Agriculture will welcome at least 50 high school and college students to campus for a week of classes on risk management, finance and business, legal issues and marketing.

University of Arkansas professors, professionals in the food and agriculture sector and tribal leaders will teach the courses. Students from each of the Bureau of Indian Affairs regions will attend. Application materials and program descriptions will be available soon on the program’s website.

“This is an outstanding example of interdisciplinary work at the University of Arkansas,” said Sharon Gaber, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “Our faculty will use their considerable expertise to help build a sustainable food and agriculture sector.”

The Intertribal Agriculture Council, FFA (formerly the Future Farmers of America) and the Farm Credit Council are partnering with the School of Law on the program, which is supported by a grant from the Risk Management Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“The Leadership Institute Program will provide a pipeline of support for building the next generation of tribal food and agriculture leaders,” said Janie Hipp, director of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative.

“This long-needed program will expose youth to the role governments play in American Indian agriculture,” said Ross Racine, executive director of the Intertribal Agriculture Council. “The program will provide a foundation from which each attendee can build an informed educational foundation and the program will provide a financial record-keeping foundation which will be beneficial for each attendee no matter what future career they choose to pursue.”

 “Farm Credit is proud to be a partner in the development of leadership and financial skills among Native American young and beginning farmers,” said Gary Matteson, vice president of the Farm Credit Council’s Young, Beginning, Small Farmer Programs and Outreach. “The future is bright for agriculture on tribal lands, and Farm Credit expects this program will be participants’ first step in achieving long-term farm business success.”

“We are committed to diversity as we continue to build today’s FFA into a more empowered and inclusive organization,” said Dwight Armstrong, chief executive officer of the National FFA Organization. “This grant will provide funding for Native American FFA members and others to participate in a risk management and leadership development conference next summer. We are grateful for this opportunity and pleased to be a part of this project.”

For more information, or to support the Leadership Program, please contact Janie Hipp at jhipp@uark.edu.