For millennia, Indigenous peoples have cultivated diverse, adaptive and evolving food systems, rooted in deep relationships with land, water and ecosystems. Their traditional knowledge embeds agroecological principles, emphasizing balance with nature, circularity and intergenerational equity. Beyond managing and preserving some of the world’s richest ecosystems, Indigenous peoples are custodians of countless landraces and ancient species — from finger millet in the Himalayas, to açaí in the Amazon, and fonio in West Africa — each representing an underutilized reservoir of nutrition, climate resilience and environmental sustainability. Despite this, too often, Indigenous peoples are left out from the very systems meant to nourish and support communities. One example where this exclusion is particularly visible, but also highly addressable, is school meal programs. Integrating Indigenous foodways into these systems isn’t just about nutrition — it’s about rights, identity and economic opportunities. Evidence shows that school feeding programs grounded in Indigenous knowledge can strengthen cultural heritage, enhance dietary quality and support local economies. Brazil’s National School Feeding Program (PNAE) exemplifies this approach — offering culturally appropriate meals for Indigenous students while engaging Indigenous farmers as key suppliers through Home-Grown School Feeding schemes. The Andes are the birthplace of the potato, where Indigenous farmers have developed more than 3,500 varieties in Peru alone. Photo courtesy of Rene Gomez/International Potato Center. Science must support Indigenous peoples to make their voices heard, by listening to them, co-creating with them, and empowering them to drive food system transformation. A recent study led by the Alliance of Bioversity and…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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