Hopi Farming Presentation - Drake University Law School

Hopi Farming Presentation:Practices, Barriers and SolutionsByMichael Kotutwa JohnsonPhD StudentDepartment of Renewable Natural Resources and American StudiesUniversity of ArizonaMarch 5, 2010

Overview• Hopi Dry Farming Practices• Hopi Farming Statistics• Barriers• Solutions• Conclusions

Hopi Dry Farming and Practices• 4500-5000 Feet• 6-10 Inches of AnnualPrecipitation• 130 Growing DegreeDays• Sandy-Loam Type Soils• Desert Shrubs andGrasses

Why Hopies Farm?• Farming to Hopi is a way oflife since time immemorial.• Significant part of Hopiculture.• Hopi Survival throughsubsistence typeagriculture.• Integral to communitydevelopment.• Teaches morals/values.

Most Important Factors for SuccessfulHopi Crop Production• Soil Moisture• Snowfall• Monsoon Rains• Weed Control

Areas Planted• Alluvial Flood Plains• Near Springs or InWashes• Sandy Hills

Storage and Seed Selection• Crops dried then stacked inhome or stored ingalvanized trashcans or jars.Cleaned and restored everyspring.• Seed selection is done bylooking for certain traits(e.g. hard kernels, size ofplant during harvest).

Hopi Farming Statistics• 287 Farmers (actually more)• 10 Years or More Farming Experience.• Majority of Farmers are 35 and over.• Majority of Farms are 1-9 Acres.• Zero percent of Crops go for Animal Feed (e.g.horses and cattle)* 2007 Census of Agriculture

Barriers• No Land Title.• No Business Plan becausecrops are mainly used forsubsistence.• No Capital/Low Income.• No Collateral.• FSA and NRCS Contracts andLoan Applications tocumbersome or hard tounderstand.

Solutions• Tribes Could Issue a Letter Stating Operator had Control ofArea being Farmed as Required by FSA Loans(e.g. GrazingPermits)• FSA Business Plans Must Address Subsistence Issues or FoodSecurity Issues as called for by Law.• Federal Government Could Back Farming Related Loansbecause of Trust Status. (Ward to Guardian)• Federal Grants instead of Loans to Hopi Farmers wouldEliminate Some if Not All of the FSA Loan Requirements.• The Tribe or Indian Non Profit could Apply to the FederalGovernment/NGO then disburse funds to Individual Farmers.

Conclusion• Farming is a way of life for Hopi people and must bepreserved at all costs first before venturing out intofarm product ventures.• Continued adaptation to the environment andwestern technologies over time is the key and hasbeen one of the keys to the preservation of Hopifarming.• Federal governmental agencies must provide bettertechnical assistance and federal legislation must beamended to better meet the needs of Indian farmers

Thank You