University of Arkansas launches tribal food system initiative

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Starting Tuesday, the University of Arkansas School of Law will be home to the country’s first law school initiative to focus on tribal food systems, agriculture and community sustainability.

Led by Chickasaw Nation citizen Janie Hipp and Cherokee Nation citizen Stacy Leeds, the initiative will provide educational and technical assistance to tribal governments, private entities and businesses engaging or entering the food sector. The program will also focus on agriculture, health and nutrition law and policy development, professional training of government and corporate leaders, and the formation of pipeline programs to engage students at the community level and foster them through four-year higher education institutions, law and graduate opportunities.

“The initiative we are embarking upon will support tribal governments and rural communities throughout our region and the nation in making investments in our nation’s food and energy security,” Hipp said. “When indigenous communities use their natural resources to create jobs and strengthen local communities, we all benefit.”

A graduate of the University of Arkansas, Hipp is the founder of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Tribal Relations.

The only Native American law school dean in the country and the first female Cherokee Nation Supreme Court justice, Leeds is one of five members of the Department of the lnterior’s Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform.