skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Biden says Israel and Lebanon agree to proposal to end conflict with Hezbollah; New survey shows a shift toward 'Indigenous' over 'American Indian;' Tribal leaders call syphilis outbreak public health emergency; Northwest AR development leads to housing crisis for educators.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Israel and Hezbollah agree to a ceasefire in Lebanon. The Trump-Vance transition team finally signs ethics agreements, and a political expert talks about possibilities for the lame-duck session of Congress.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The health of rural Americans is getting renewed attention from the CDC, updated data could help protect folks from flash floods like those devastated in Appalachia, and Native American Tribes want to play a key role in the nation's energy future.

Grant to Combat Food Insecurity on the Navajo Nation

play audio
Play

Wednesday, February 8, 2023   

A new grant will support local efforts to reduce rural child food insecurity on the Navajo Nation.

New Mexico has one of the highest rates of child food insecurity in the U.S. Addressing this problem in rural areas and tribal communities is made more complicated by the long distances and lack of infrastructure.

A new grant program from Save The Children's Innovation Lab is funding efforts in five states to address local food insecurity. In New Mexico the grant will support Bidii Baby Foods, a farming coop on the Navajo Nation, whose main product is a dehydrated baby cereal called Neeshjhizhii made from dried steamed Navajo white corn.

Zachariah Ben, owner and co-founder of Bidii Baby Foods, said they wanted to increase the accessibility of traditional foods.

"We decided that we wanted to be able to create a product that is maternally health-focused," Ben explained. "And helps the children's development and encoding these first foods into our children using our own natural resources here at home."

He said knowledge of Neeshjhizhii was never lost, but preparation had become limited to ceremonies. Bidii Baby Foods utilizes permaculture and traditional Navajo growing techniques when planting, cultivating, and harvesting produce.

Rural families are often isolated, and distances from homes to grocery stores can be prohibitive. Ben said in planning to create Bidii Baby Foods and expand farm operations, they had to consider infrastructure challenges on the Navajo Nation.

"We produce value added foods that turn into dehydrated food, which then also increases the shelf life of these products," Ben noted. "Because here, only about 70% of our people have electricity. And so they don't have a means of a good cold storage for fresh produce. "

The Innovation Lab was created to design and test new ways to reduce rural child hunger, and has an annual open call for project ideas.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court hears on average 80 cases per session, out of the thousands of requests it receives. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

The U.S. Supreme Court is deciding whether to review a Wisconsin case over the issue of gender identity at school. The case Parents Protecting Our …


Social Issues

play sound

A new survey of Native American teens and young adults highlights a growing preference for the term "Indigenous" rather than being referred to as "Ame…

Environment

play sound

Advocates said a lack of animal welfare laws is leading to pain and suffering on American factory farms. Close to 99% of livestock is now raised in …


Health and Wellness

play sound

By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Kathleen Shannon for Greater Dakota News Service reporting for the KFF Health News…

In a recent AARP survey of "solo agers," only 38% said they knew someone who could help manage ongoing care needs. (Freepik)

Social Issues

play sound

By Judith Graham for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News Servic…

Social Issues

play sound

President Joe Biden has entered a "lame-duck" period, prompting a Michigan political science expert to analyze his potential actions before President-…

Social Issues

play sound

Tens of thousands of children in Pennsylvania are still missing out on essential health care coverage, according to a new report. The "State of …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021