Indigenous Food Systems Resilience

Corn and sunflowers growing with trees and a blue cloudy sky in the background.

Indigenous Food Systems Resilience

Connecting Cultural Values and Indigenous Research


The Indigenous Food Systems Resilience project is a partnership between the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Tribal Nations and organizations in Wisconsin that supports Tribal producers, land managers, and communities in their food sovereignty work in four key areas.

Our team of 41 people collaborates with 9 Tribal partners and organizations representing all 11 Federally recognized Tribes in Wisconsin, and 14 UW and Extension units or departments.


Upcoming Events

Chronic Wasting Disease: Preparing for Hunting Season

September 30 from 12-1 PM CST

Join the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission to learn the basics you need to know about Chronic Wasting Disease, recommendations for testing and best practices, how to use all parts of the deer safely, and new research relevant to Tribal hunters.

Introduction to Growing Mushrooms

October 7 from 12-1 PM CST

Are you interested in growing culinary mushrooms like cremini, oyster, or shiitake mushrooms? Speakers Joseph Schaar (Lac Vieux Desert Agricultural Holdings) and Tony Johnson (UW Extension Forestry) will introduce the basics of growing culinary mushrooms indoors and outside in logs or buckets.

Library of Past Webinars

A tiller going through a field.

Access our past webinars including:

  • Telling Your Story with Social Media
  • Soil Tests from Filling our Forms to Interpreting Results
  • Vegetable Crop Season Planning
  • and more!

Project News

Check out or Project News page for more media featuring our project.


Videos Highlighting Our Work

Supporting Capacity Building

Learn about some of our project partners, including the Great Lakes Intertribal Food Coalition, the Wisconsin Tribal Conservation Advisory Council, and the Ho-Chunk Nation Department of Agriculture, and how we are working together to build Tribal and intertribal capacity for food sovereignty.

Building Effective Partnerships

Hear from our Tribal partners on ways to build reciprocal and respectful University – Tribal partnerships and the benefits of long-term partnerships for Tribes in Wisconsin, Tribal producers, Tribal organizations, and the University of Wisconsin.

Great Lakes Indigenous Producer Academy

Experience the 2024 Great Lakes Indigenous Food Producer Academy organized and hosted by the Great Lakes Intertribal Food Coalition, Wisconsin Tribal Conservation Advisory Council, Menominee Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, and Forest County Potawatomi Bodwéwadmi Ktëgan Farm.

Understanding the Health of Restored Manoomin

Learn about the Manoomin Team’s work with partners to evaluate the health of restored manoomin in the St. Louis River Estuary. Watch the full video to learn about the collaborative research and preliminary results showing the manoomin is healthy!


This project is funded by a four-year grant (2023–2026) from the Wisconsin Rural Partnerships Institute at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).