First Nations Development Institute was awarded a three-year grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program (USDA-CFP). Through the grant, First Nations supports food and agricultural programs administered by tribes and Native-controlled nonprofit organizations that serve rural or reservation-based Native communities. In addition to specialized technical assistance and training, First Nations holds convenings in Native communities to provide information and model projects to improve Native community food, agriculture and health related needs. Participants are also provided training and resources for use of First Nations' Food Sovereignty Assessment Tool (FSAT) - a tool designed to assist Native communities in the evaluation of their local food systems.

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Nutrition for the Elderly
Nutrition for the Elderly (NFE) provides elders and their spouses on the Standing Rock Sioux reservation with hot meals every weekday. In 2007, the Standing Rock Senior Farmers Market Nutrition program was started to provide elders with vouchers they can use to purchase fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables at local farmers markets. NFE also grows vegetables and berries for its elders at the Long Soldier Elders Garden, and incorporates these into daily meals. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe began this program to improve the health and nutrition of its elderly tribal members.

First Nations Development Institute launched the Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative (NAFSI) to address issues confronting tribes and Native communities as they seek to strengthen their local food systems, improve health and nutrition, and build food security. Through an integrated program approach, this initiative increases the control over Native food assets by providing an opportunity for Native communities to develop innovative agricultural and food security projects.

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Restoring Traditional Practices to Native Food Systems in Hawai'i
The Ka'ala Farm, a grantee of First Nations Development Institute, has a mission to restore traditional farming techniques and traditional dietary practices among Native Hawaiians. The staff of Ka'ala Farm have been engaged in community development, beginning with the establishment of traditional Hawaiian food systems that are centered around lo'i kalo, or taro paddies. The project has developed a number of programs specifically focused on youth. The Cultural Center works with Mala 'Ai' Opio, a youth leadership program, to run a garden and demonstration organic farm for the production of produce and traditional Native crops. Students learn about the land, environmental watershed, traditional foods, ethno-botany, archaeological mapping, and restoration of plants, streams, and sacred sites.

The Ka'ala Farm accomplishes its community development work by collaborating with a wide variety of educational, cultural, environmental and governmental agencies. Altogether, the Ka'ala Center has worked with more than 4,000 school children, community groups, university scholars, international groups, and substance abuse treatment centers. The project is expanding youth leadership and improving the local food system by using culturally appropriate methods to explore organic agriculture, entrepreneurship, education, and infrastructure development.

First Nations Development Institute is addressing the lack of healthy, fresh foods in Native communities by increasing their availability, while also supporting Native-controlled entrepreneurship that supplies locally-produced, healthy foods in Native communities. This project supports efforts of rural and reservation-based Native communities in developing locally-controlled and locally-based food systems that provide healthy foods to community members. Also, First Nations is designing a college-level curriculum to assist Native American-controlled tribal colleges in designing agricultural entrepreneurship education programs.

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Native Agriculture & Food Systems Initiative/Time for the Harvest
The Oneida Nation of Wisconsin created the Tsyunhehkwa Cannery through a grant in the 1970's to establish a food preservation program to benefit tribal members and the surrounding community by teaching techniques for processing and preserving traditional foods. The title of the program, Tsyunhehkwa, is from the Oneida language and translates to "Life Sustenance". Tsyunhehkwa is an agricultural community and culturally based program, and the cannery assists community members in processing fresh foods and organic heirloom white corn (Indigenous food) for the health and well-being of tribal members. The Tsyunhehkwa Cannery is one of four organizations that received a grant through First Nations' Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative.