More than 30 native American tribes have formed the Native Farm Bill Coalition in an effort to give native American farms a voice at the farm bill table.

Minnesota Public Radio reports that the coalition is an outgrowth of programs to improve health and expand access to health food for Native Americans.

The coalition says that for decades, Indian Country has largely been pushed to the side during farm bill discussions. That means, according to coalition leaders, Native Americans and tribes are “missing out on major opportunities to protect and advance their interests.”

The Native Farm Bill Coalition is a joint project by the Seeds of Native Health campaign, the Intertribal Agriculture Council, the National Congress of American Indians, and the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative, to improve Native dietary health and food access.

From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.