Non Technical Summary
This project will support a preconference day added to the 2022 FALCON conference that will directly address the goals of the USDA AFRI Social Implications of Food and Agricultural Technologies Program Area (A1642) by examining the potential for increased partnerships among 1994 and 1862 LGIs. This preconference will promote the engagement of leaders with faculty, staff, and students who are working in areas that are of specific interest to Native American communities. While there will be particular emphasis on food-related topics, the hope is that this preconference will pave the way toward exploration of an expanded array of subject matters that serve to bring land-grant universities together in working partnerships. The relationship of food and food systems to health, wealth, land, and culture makes it a natural entry point to these various other topics. The preconference will provide cutting-edge information on food-related efforts currently underway that involve both Native and non-Native stakeholders, as well as evidence regarding previous and present 1994-1862 partnerships on topics covering a wider variety of issues of importance to Native American families and communities.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
803	6099	3020	100%

Knowledge Area
803 - Sociological and Technological Change Affecting Individuals, Families, and Communities;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;

Goals / Objectives
Goals:To host a one-day preconference on food-related issues specific to Native American populations that will be attached to the 2022 FALCON conference.1. The focus of this preconference will center on the ways that 1994-1862 land-grant institution (LGI) partnerships can provide support to Native American families, communities, and governments as they work to define their own dietary needs and shape their own food systems and build capacity in ways that are congruent with their spiritual and cultural values.2. In turn, data gathered in conjunction with this preconference will have its parallel in a planning process designed to conduct a multistate research project aimed at documenting best practices in the development and implementation of 1994-1862 partnerships, including their impact on the health and well-being of Native American families and communities.Objectives Define food-related terms (food sovereignty, food security, etc.) that are of critical importance to Native American families and communities.Learn about food-related efforts currently underway across the nation involving both Native and non-Native stakeholders.Examine previous and present partnerships involving 1994 and 1862 LGIs in food-specific areas as well as other topics that have created collaborative opportunities among institutionsBuild commitment towards participation in a national clearinghouse/support center for cataloguing all activities being undertaken on behalf of Native American families and communities that are connected to 1994-1862 LGI partnerships.

Project Methods
The conference funds will be used in a multi-pronged approach to engage 1994 and 1862 LGI representatives in the FALCON preconference/conference and provide a facilitated discussion among these existing and potential partner organizations, with the aim of further documenting existing partnerships and laying the groundwork for new collaborations to emerge. Several steps will be involved in the planning and implementation of the objectives. The preconference is attached to the FALCON annual conference. The host site of Albuquerque, New Mexico already has been selected by FALCON leadership, and conference planning for the 2020 event will be well underway by late 2021. John Phillips, the Executive Director of FALCON, has endorsed this proposed project and has provided full assistance in outlining a conference management method for preconference advertisement, registration, and allocation of hotel assistance support. In addition to FALCON efforts, additional recruitment activities will take place in collaboration with all stakeholders named above. Program evaluation will be conducted one month after the meeting to assess next steps in following through on partnership opportunities that are discussed in the preconference. Finally, the Extension Foundation has built a National Registry (https://extension.org/registry) supported by funding from USDA-NIFA that helps collate partnership information on Extension partnerships. A preliminary effort already has been undertaken to use the National Registry to collect information on extension-related 1994-1862 partnerships, which eventually could be opened further to allow for the collection of data on all collaborative activities (not just Extension-based activities as it is now designed). Building on information shared during the 2021 FALCON conference, these efforts would create an opportunity to expand these data collection efforts to include information on best practices associated with centering the community's goals, having an "insider collaborator," and creating culturally relevant programming and pedagogy (Hartmann & Martin, forthcoming).