Organic Food Security is Sovereignty for First Nation Community Members of Payahunadu: Helping Nüümü (Pauite) elders on their farms and hiring native youth to support elders solves the problem of food deserts.

Each year, the founding organic farmers of the Made by Mother Earth nonprofit organization are invited to farm on tribally owned allotment lands and in Payahunadu. Our farms have grown from one large-scale operation to two, providing 10,000 fruit and vegetable plant starts to more than 100 Native families across the Eastern and Western Sierra regions, supporting backyard farms or gardens for families and elders.

We offer fruit and vegetable plant starts for elders, mothers, fathers, children, teens, youth, and families on every reservation from Bridgeport Indian Colony, Mono Lake Kootzaduka’a Tribe, Bishop Paiute Tribe, Big Pine Tribe, Fort Independence Tribe, Lone Pine, and Timbisha Death Valley tribes, in California, as well as Yosemite Miwok, and surrounding communities.

Native Leadership

We recognize and honor the inherent right of Native communities to lead and make decisions about their own food systems. This is why our organization is 85% led by Nümü Native landowners/Nümü farmers, Native farmers from other federally and state-recognized tribes, and Indigenous women. Most of our hired ranch hands are Nümü Native youth and Native youth from many nations, working together with our diverse team of community members from all nationalities and backgrounds.

Our work supports a whole community rooted in food sovereignty, ensuring that food security is grown on tribally owned land, providing food for local native families, and that the entire community benifits from the local food movement in line with the values, needs, and health of all people in our community.

Our programs are grounded in honoring the diverse cultural traditions of the many Native communities living in Payahunadu, who help farm on Paiute Reservation land. By honoring traditional foodways, we strengthen cultural identity and maintain deep connections between people, land, and food.

Community Empowerment

We develop initiatives that holistically support entire communities and all cultures—economically, socially, and culturally. By teaching youth regenerative agricultural skills and supporting seed-to-table farms, ranches, and gardens ©, we help them grow food from seed, harvest it, prepare meals, and share them with their families. We also give tribal members opportunities to grow organic foods and create organic products from the farms they tend (such as Chris’s Pickled Peppers, a local sensation). These efforts help communities take ownership of their food systems and build pride in the local economy.

We believe strong relationships build strong food systems. This is why we are expanding!

Intergenerational Knowledge

Traditional knowledge is passed down through generations. This is why we are growing farms at the request of elders. We prioritize sharing and revitalizing ancestral food practices that elders teach our communities, which are then passed on to youth, so future generations remain connected to the wisdom of the land, all within the foods grown in their own backyard reservation community gardens and in the wild.

Food Security

We are committed to advancing fairness and justice across the food system. Our work recognizes historical inequities and advocates policies and practices that support inclusive, healthy, and sustainable food systems for all Native communities. Made by Mother Earth is dedicated to expanding organic food sovereignty in tribal communities, improving food security in food deserts, and educating communities about wild horse ecology. Rooted in respect for nature, we foster earth-based skills for all ages and champion land protection to ensure a sustainable future for all.

Dedicated to land protection, with a proven track record of advancing land acquisition for tribal members, organic food sovereignty, and wild horse ecology, we inspire and equip communities to protect the land and secure their food futures. We do this by funding California’s Eastern Sierra Native, First Nation, and diverse surrounding communities and by building farms rooted in culture, not just agriculture. We respect the inherent right of Native and diverse communities surrounding the reservations to control their food systems and are centered on the needs of the entire community. We accomplish this through a knowledgeable team on staff, including PhD soil scientists, elders, and reservation landowners whose land we farm; tribal farmers; permaculture farmers; and other nonprofits working through the CA-NV Wild Horse Coalition.