Indigenous Food Producer Database
Most agricultural land owned by Indigenous producers in Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina is used to grow crops.
The agricultural products produced from this land account for 3% of the total value of all agricultural products produced in the US. Most of these products are produced in North Carolina.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). “Selected Farm Characteristics by Race: 2017.” 2017 Census of Agriculture. Retrieved from https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/
The majority of the total market value of crops from Indigenous producers in the Tri-state area comes from grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas.
In contrast, states outside of the tri-state area have a more diversified crop market, with significant contributions from all of these crops plus fruits, tree nuts, berries, and other crops and hay.
The majority of the total market value of animal products from Indigenous producers in the tri-state area comes from poultry and eggs.
The states outside of the tri-state area have cattle and calves making up the majority of total market value of animal products.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). “Race/Gender/Ethnicity Profile.” 2017 Census of Agriculture. Retrieved from https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/
The number of Indigenous producers has increased substantially since 2002, when this data collection began. This is likely due to improvements in data collection rather than a real increase in the population size.
On a per capita basis, the number of Indigenous producers in Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina have consistently been lower than in other states between 2002 and 2022.
While other states saw a peak in 2012 and a slight decline afterward, the Tri-state region experienced a steady drop until 2017, with a small recovery in 2022.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). “Total Number of AI/AN Operators by State.” Quick Stats. Retrieved from https://quickstats.nass.usda.gov/
States like Arizona and Oklahoma have the highest number of farms with Indigenous producers (ranging from 6,001 farms to 15,000)...
...while many states in the Northeast and Midwest have fewer Indigenous farms, with some states reporting as few as 2 to 25 farms.
States in the Northeast, such as Connecticut and Rhode Island, as well as some in the West like Oregon and Utah, have the highest density of Indigenous producers (0.025 to 1.092 producers per square mile).
In contrast, many states in the Midwest and parts of the West have lower densities, with some areas reporting less than 0.001 producers per square mile.
Eastern states have less Indigenous farmland compared to states in the West.
Among eastern states, those in the Southeast have slightly more Indigenous farmland acreage compared to the Northeastern states.
Many states in the Northeast have significantly less or no data available compared to the majority of the Eastern states.
States like Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma have the highest amounts of Indigenous farmland (over 7.7 million acres), while many states in the Northeast have significantly less or no data available.
