Data Tools for Native Ranchers
While the NLIS hosts a variety of resources related to agriculture on Native lands, this page highlights those that are specifically relevant to Native ranchers. Native ranchers are major contributors to their reservation economies, food systems, and land stewardship. The Native Lands Advocacy Project is committed to producing data tools and educational resources to support ranchers’ informed decision-making regarding land stewardship, access to capital, and involvement in the broader agricultural economy.
The sections below highlight our Dashboards, Maps, Storymaps, and Blog Posts. This is a live page that will continue to be updated as we create new resources. Have any feedback about how we can make this page more useful? Contact us here or fill out this feedback form!
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Data Dashboards for Native Ranchers
Maps for Native Ranchers
Storymaps for Native Ranchers
The Buffalo’s Resilience in the Face of Settler Colonialism
As Native nations reintroduce buffalo to the lands they’ve stewarded since time immemorial, their lands, ecosystems, and communities heal.
Data Tools for Native Ranchers
This storymap walks through each resource introduced on our “Data for Native Farmers” topic page.
The Legacy of Allotment on Contemporary Native Agriculture
In this storymap, we explore recent data from the USDA Census of Agriculture for American Indian Reservations to illustrate the devastating and intergenerational impacts of the Dawes Act. Although we trace current disparities back to their roots in oppressive agricultural policies, Native communities across the country have been leading efforts to change the narrative.
Sustainable Food Systems for US Native Lands: A Story Untold
The myth of an “empty land” where Natives lived idly without making good use of their natural resources is persistent and served as the primary base to justify taking lands away from tribes. Contrary to stereotypes, Native Agriculture was diverse and flourishing prior to settler colonialism.
Blog Posts for Native Ranchers
Announcing Our New Storymap: The Buffalo’s Resilience in the Face of Settler Colonialism
As Native nations reintroduce buffalo to the lands they’ve stewarded since time immemorial, their lands, ecosystems, and communities heal.
New to the NLIS? Start here!
The Native Lands Advocacy Project (NLAP) compiles, consolidates, and visualizes data resources to support sovereign, sustainable, Native-led land planning and protection.
Soil Organic Carbon Planning, Key to Building Tribal Climate Resiliency
As tribes continue to experience the impacts of climate change on their lands and communities, they are starting to invest more of their resources and planning strategies into protecting and enhancing their soil organic carbon (SOC).
The Power of Asdzáán in Agriculture: Data Shows Native Female Majority Among Navajo Operators
Of the 73 reservations that participated in 2017 Census of Agriculture, only the Navajo Nation and the Umatilla Confederated Tribes reported a Native female majority among their agricultural operators.
Reservation Croplands: How Native Farmers and Ranchers Can Leverage the USDA’s Cropland Data Layer for Land Planning
In 2022, there were about 110 million acres of cropland (5.7%) on Native American reservations (including on-reservation and off-reservation trust lands). What are these croplands and land covers? How have they changed over time? Why does this data matter?
2023 Farm Bill: Native Farm Bill Coalition Priorities & How the NLIS Can Help
By Raven McMullin It goes without saying that the food system in the United States was created without the intent of maintaining or supporting traditional
