HAVRE, Mont. (AP) – A Colorado-based development group has provided a $30,000 grant to promote food sustainability at Montana's Fort Belknap Indian Reservation.
The Havre Daily News reports part of the grant will support research in hydroponic growing, in which food is grown year-round in climate controlled water.
The reservation is home to the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine tribes in north-central Montana.
The grant is from the Longmont, Colorado-based First Nations Development Institute with support from the Minnesota-based Northwest Area Foundation. The foundation promotes economic development among 75 Native nations in eight states.
"Our goal is to get our whole reservation food sovereign," and keep money flowing within the reservation community by promoting locally-grown and sold foods, said Ray Gone, a tourism and program director at the development corporation.
The Red Paint Community Council has launched a community garden in Lodge Pole, near the southeast border of the reservation, and plans to open a cooperative store in January, Gone said. The store will feature a community kitchen, classes on canning food and a food pantry.
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Information from: Havre Daily News, http://www.havredailynews.com