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The idea of every human being’s ’right to food’ is nothing new these days, however, looking specifically at this idea in relation to Indigenous Peoples is an exciting and important movement that is gaining steam fast, and rightfully so. International conferences, under the title Indigenous Terra Madre, have been held across the globe first in Sweden in 2011 and then India to explore topics related to Indigenous food sovereignty and better spread the vast agricultural knowledge that has been passed down through Indigenous communities for generations.

Dr. Daphne Miller from the University of California tells us that Indigenous Peoples who eat the diets of their ancestors are immune to many chronic diseases.  Indigenous diets are also suited to local environments: farmers farm in a cycle, use different kinds of seeds, conserve water, engaging practices that are not only sustainable and organic but also regenerative.

Produced by Dev Kumar Sunuwar and Jagat Dong from Nepal, for Cultural Survival after attending the Indigenous Terra Madre conference held in November, 2015 in Meghalaya, North East India.

Researcher Elizabeth Hacker describes research about how Indigenous individuals create their own frameworks to define "well-being" to counter Western ideas of well-being. She found three important concepts for Indigenous well being are, Meeting basic material needs; social harmony and sense of belonging; and cultural identity. Dev and Elizabeth discuss examples from her research in India and Kenya.

Participants discuss what food sovereignty means for Indigenous Peoples. Speakers include Native American activist, and author Dr. Winona Laduke, and Dr. Grazia Borrini-Feyerabend, Global Coordinator of the ICCA Consortium, and David Strelneck, Senior Advisor at Ashoka Foundation.

Produced by Dev Kumar Sunuwar and Jagat Dong from Nepal, for Cultural Survival after attending the Indigenous Terra Madre conference held in November, 2015 in Meghalaya, North East India.

Interviewees discusses the main challenges to food security for a rising global population. Dhrupad Choudhury of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, argues that Indigenous farmers are doing important work to tackle challenges the world is facing today due to climate change. Indigenous farmers have the building blocks of stress tolerant crops, as well as sustainable agricultural practices because they are dependent only on the resources available to them.

Dr. Winona LaDuke describes her practices experimenting with various types of maize.

The Slow Food movement was founded in Italy in 1986 to promote an alternative to fast food.

Analee Johnson, Sami, of Sweden, says that the Slow Food movement believes that the food we produce should be good, clean, and fair. She gives an example of marketing Sami traditional food of Reindeer meat.

Bibhudutta Sahu, of the North East Slow Food & Agrobiodiversity Society explains that local food is always the best, because mother nature has been kind enough to provide us what we need.

Dayamani Barla, Indigenous tribal journalist and activist from Jharkland, India, discusses how Indigenous Peoples have been displaced from their traditional farming lands in the name of dams, mining and other development projects.

Produced by Dev Kumar Sunuwar and Jagat Dong from Nepal, for Cultural Survival after attending the Indigenous Terra Madre conference held in November, 2015 in Meghalaya, North East India.

Statement from Special Rapporteur Vicky Tauli-Corpuz on the sustainable development goals proposed by the United Nations and how Indigenous Peoples' rights must be respected in order to solve climate issues such as deforestation.

Cristina Coc, a Q'eqchi Maya woman of southern Belize, shares how Mayan groups in Belize have been fighting for their rights for over 30 years. After many meetings with the State, the Belize national court has acknowledged legal Indigenous rights to their land and affirmed that the government may not use, destruct, or occupy Indigenous land.

Josh Cooper speaks about climate change and its impact on Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous Peoples are being impacted by climate change, specifically in Oceania, and Josh Cooper is working to create World Climate Justice Day to bring further awareness to the issue.

Josh Cooper speaks about deep seabed mining and the risks associated with this type of exploration for Indigenous Peoples and the environment.

Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn speaks about consumerism in the modern world and our responsibility to care for the earth, and gives advice about how we can enact chance for future generations.

Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn speaks about deep sea bed mining and its impacts on the environment, especially in Oceania and Indigenous communities, including her native New Zealand.

Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn speaks about her favorite interventions in the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. She believes the interventions regarding climate change have been very important in her community and across the world.