Purpose Statement: To invest locally in native grown ideas and support socially responsible business development to move Crow Creek Sioux Reservation toward a commercially viable, self-sustaining economic environment.
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
Nonprofit Assistance
The Harvest Initiative works with relief organizations in the community that need assistance in areas of nonprofit governance and operations. We work with these groups to ensure that their services are not interrupted and they have long term support. Our organization has helped form five nonprofit corporations and assisted another handful of organizations. These services are currently being supported by a generous grant by the South Dakota Community Foundation.
Tribal Legal Development Consultation
The Crow Creek Tribal Council has requested the Harvest Initiative's assistance in the development of certain legal devices and general information gathering. With trained staff and access to various legal resources, is able to assist the council in developing legal instruments to further the economic development on the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation. The Harvest Initiative's consultation is limited to those issues specifically requested by the Tribal Council. Past and current areas of involvement include creating a tribal wind energy development ordinance, implementing the model tribal secured transaction code, and developing a general economic development plan.
Crow Creek High School Business Law Education
The Harvest Initiative views the growth and development of youth as vital to a developing economy. During the 2008-2009 school year, The Harvest Initiative partnered with the Crow Creek Tribal Schools to develop and teach a high school business law course. The business law course incorporated tribal business law into a traditional business law curriculum to present a broader understanding for the students. Tribal property law and tribal business development systems are integral to understanding business development in a reservation setting.
Agricultural Development Project - Ičaȟuŋyapi PartnershipThe Ičaȟuŋyapi Partnership has five primary objectives: improving agricultural productivity at Crow Creek, increasing income and creating jobs through socially responsible business development, improving education and adult capacity, enhancing the quality of life in the Crow Creek Reservation, and developing a long-term strategy for sustainable support. The centerpiece of the partnership is the redevelopment of the Crow Creek Tribal Farm as a first step in local agricultural development. The partnership is both the first domestic agricultural development project to be supported by Pioneer Hi-Bred International and the first of its kind in the United States to partner with a Native American Tribe.
Crow Creek Fresh Food Initiative
As an outgrowth of the Ičaȟuŋyapi Partnership, the Crow Creek Fresh Food Initiative is focused on the development of a network of school, community, and family gardens throughout the Crow Creek Reservation. The initiative seeks to establish sustainable gardening practices to encourage agricultural entrepreneurship, improve nutrition, foster self-reliance, and fight food insecurity. We have begun our efforts with a school garden that combines educational and cultural opportunities with a production-based garden. Planting took place in the spring of 2010 at the local tribal elementary school, and the project is continuing through the summer with the cooperation of the Boys and Girls Club and South Dakota State University Extension. Thanks to a generous grant from the First Nations Development Institute, the project will expand in 2011 to include youth and adult involvement.
