Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** indigenous agriculture can teach US…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** indigenous agriculture can teach US a lot about modern sustainable agriculture and natural plant ecosystems. Indigenous agriculture didn't degrade the land, but was very productive and indigenous peoples flourished in relation to the land. Why indigenous agriculture is successful is the same reason natural ecosystems are successful, diversity. Diverse organisms like plants and microbes have evolved different jobs to influence each other and the environment. I want to understand these plant-microbe interactions in indigenous agriculture to better inform how we can optimize consistent sustainable practices in conventional agriculture.one part of my research directly involves collaborating with tribal corn growers in wisconsin who want to reduce overworking the soil by replacing aggressive weeds with helpful plants, or cover crops. These cover crops contribute to soil health and increase diversity. I sample and weigh cover crop and weeds to gauge cover crop success. I also measure corn yield to ensure cover crops or weeds aren't negative influence corn health. By changing in the types of cover crops grown with indigenous corn aboveground allow me to sample soil and roots and sequence their DNA to identify which microbes are present and their abundance. Through this research, i have been able to give tribal growers agricultural recommendations based off data coming from their own farms, like which cover crop grows well with their corn. We are looking to support tribal food systems, which seek to foster healthy soil, which leads to healthy foods to healthy people and communities.