7 facts about indigenous agriculture

GREENVILLE, Iowa — This month, AgriSafe Network recognized how the sacrifices of Native American farmers have shaped today’s agriculture.

America’s agriculture industry would not be the same if it were not for the contributions of Native American farmers.

Did you know?

1. Native Americans were the first to learn to grow and use: potatoes, beans, corn, peanuts, pumpkins, tomatoes, squash, peppers, melons, sunflower seeds, popcorn, wild rice, cranberries, maple sugar and syrup, turkeys, clam bakes, pemmican, jerky, pineapple, avocado, tapioca, chocolate, chewing gum and vanilla.

2. Native Americans were the first to learn to grow and use: tobacco, cotton and rubber.

3. Sixty percent of the present world’s food supply comes from Native American agriculture, primarily consisting of corn and potatoes.

4. Countless Native American words for food have become part of the English language, including chocolate, potato and squash.

5. Native Americans have contributed a great deal to farming methods. The white settlers in colonial America might have starved if they had not copied Native American farming methods.

6. Native American women were primarily responsible for clearing the land and planting, cultivating, as well as harvesting their crops. They also developed a method for storing excess crops in jug-shaped pits for later use.

7. Native Americans invented the technique of enriching the soil and piling it to build raised garden plots called chinampas on swampy land and in lakes. This technique paved the way for the technique of raised-bed farming.

Resources are available, designed specifically for Native Americans working in agriculture.

This includes the Native American Agriculture Fund, which provides grants to eligible organizations for business assistance, agricultural education, technical support and advocacy services. It supports native farmers and ranchers.

Learn more at nativeamericanagriculturefund.org.