Native American communities remain resilient in the face of disproportionately high rates of poverty, hunger, unemployment, and poor health, both before and during COVID19. For American Indian and Alaska Native communities, disparities in food insecurity are a result of the structural racism originating with colonization and continuing to the present. A key step in addressing food insecurity for Native populations is measuring and monitoring the issue, but there is no current comprehensive measure of food insecurity for Native populations. The NAAF Food Access Survey aims to fill this data gap for Native American communities during COVID-19.
The Native American Agriculture Fund, Food Research & Action Center, and Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative report on their findings.