Natural & Holistic Approaches to Creating Sustainable & Healthy Living Systems

HMM producer Anna Steltenkamp speaks with Clayton Brascoupé. Clayton is a life-long gardener and farmer. He is also the Program Director of the Traditional Native American Farmers Association (TNAFA), which is a non-profit, inter-tribal organization of Indigenous farmers, gardeners, educators, and health professionals whose mission is “to revitalize traditional agriculture for spiritual and human need, by creating awareness and support for Native environmental issues.”

This is the third segment in a multi-part dialogue with Clayton Brascoupé. In this segment, Clayton speaks about TNAFA’s education program: the Indigenous Sustainable Communities Design Course. This program takes a holistic approach to creating sustainable communities, integrating many disciplines to create complete living systems. He addresses the benefits of community participation in farming and gardening—including access to a healthier diet, to physical activity, and to quality time with both your community and family. Also, Clayton speaks about the importance of developing youth interest in farming and gardening, and the resurgence of this interest that occurred amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.