Food Is Our Medicine is dedicated to promoting natural and organic farming practices that enhance gut health and overall wellness for all people. We emphasize the critical importance of growing food without harmful pesticides and chemicals, believing deeply that what we consume directly affects our health and vitality.
Why Natural and Organic Farming?
Modern industrial farming practices often prioritize quantity over quality, relying heavily on pesticides and artificial fertilizers. This approach disrupts the balance of our ecosystems and contributes significantly to health issues, including impaired gut health and chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Organic farming, in contrast, fosters richer soil biodiversity, leading to nutrient-dense food that supports a robust gut microbiome.
The Gut-Health Connection
A healthy gut is foundational to overall well-being. Gut health is directly influenced by diet, particularly the quality of food consumed. Foods grown naturally, without pesticides, not only reduce our toxic load but also enrich our gut microbiota. This enrichment strengthens the immune system, enhances digestion, and reduces inflammation—factors crucial in preventing chronic illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases.
Lessons from Traditional Knowledge
Historically, indigenous communities thrived through an intimate relationship with their local ecosystems. Their traditional knowledge, cultivated through generations, emphasizes harmony with nature and responsible stewardship of the land. Indigenous practices illustrate the strength, health, and resilience achievable through diet and lifestyle deeply rooted in natural, sustainable methods.
Healing Through Reconnection
Although many communities have become disconnected from traditional food systems due to industrialization and globalization, there is a growing movement toward rediscovering these sustainable practices. Food Is Our Medicine is proud to be part of this global shift, reconnecting all people—not just Native communities—to healthier food systems that honor both human and ecological health.
Our Mission and Impact
Founded as an initiative under the Seneca Diabetes Foundation, Food Is Our Medicine seeks to educate and empower communities about the health benefits of organic, pesticide-free food. We strive to reverse trends of nutrition-related diseases through awareness, education, and the promotion of sustainable agriculture practices.
Despite the complex and widespread challenges, many communities are coming together to address the current health crises through sustainable, organic agriculture practices. The Food Is Our Medicine Project, initiated by the Seneca Nation of Indians, exemplifies a broader movement applicable to all people—not just Native communities—to reconnect with land through natural and organic farming, free from harmful pesticides. Embracing organic agriculture improves gut health by fostering a diverse microbiome, essential for reducing inflammation and combating chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and heart conditions. By cultivating plants native to regions like Western New York using these sustainable practices, communities can rebuild healthier food systems that enhance overall wellness and vitality for everyone.
The Food Is Our Medicine Project operates under the Seneca Diabetes Foundation (SDF), an organization dedicated to raising awareness and improving health outcomes related to diabetes through wellness programs and education. Although rooted in the Seneca Nation, the project’s mission extends to all individuals who seek healthier lives through informed, natural food choices.
Barry E. Snyder, Sr., Founder and Board Chairman of the SDF, emphasizes that diabetes has become a significant health challenge, affecting not only Native populations but the wider community due to processed diets and disconnected food practices.
Both the Seneca Diabetes Foundation and the Food Is Our Medicine Project advocate for the transformative role that organic farming and conscious food decisions play in enhancing gut health, reducing disease risk, and promoting a holistic approach to community well-being.
According to SDF Founder and Board Chairman Barry E. Snyder, Sr., “Years ago, American Indians did not have diabetes…Today diabetes is one of the top health problems affecting the Seneca Nation of Indians. In fact, diabetes affects 50 percent of all American Indians versus six percent of the country’s general population. One in two adults in the Seneca Nation has diabetes and it’s affecting our young people at earlier ages” (www.senecadiabetesfoundation.org).
Both the Seneca Diabetes Foundation and the Food Is Our Medicine Project are working to improve the health and well-being of Seneca Nation members, and to raise awareness of the crucial role that sound food decisions can play in this process.
Executive Summary
The overall goal of the Food Is Our Medicine (FIOM) Project is to restore the health and well-being of communities—beginning with the Seneca Nation, but extending to all people—by reconnecting to culturally significant Native plants, organic farming practices, and ancestral food systems. These practices not only honor heritage and sustainability but also play a vital role in restoring gut health, improving immune function, and reducing chronic disease. The project promotes a food system that is free from synthetic pesticides and focused on soil integrity, biodiversity, and whole-body wellness.
The project is led by a full-time manager and supported by three volunteer-directed committees with 58 members. To date, FIOM has held 15 committee meetings covering six Native plant topics, constructed and filled 25 raised garden beds, and established three community gardens along with a half-acre crop plot—all managed organically. These gardens serve as educational hubs where people of all backgrounds can reconnect with natural, gut-friendly, pesticide-free foods.
FIOM’s educational efforts have reached at least 30 unique participants through eleven workshops across three venues, featuring expert presentations on gardening and natural food cultivation. The Seneca Nation Farmers Market, an integral partner of the project, has hosted thirteen vendors over a seven-week span, offering organic produce, grass-fed meats, and other clean-label goods that nourish gut and overall health. Other achievements include two native landscaping projects installing 446 Native plants and over 25 species, a community-led peach canning event producing 1,033 quarts, and seven published articles across two newspapers. Additionally, eight local organizations have joined FIOM in its mission, and staff have represented the project at Native food system development conferences.
Looking ahead, the Food Is Our Medicine Project seeks to achieve the following long-term goals to benefit both the Seneca Nation and broader communities:
- Develop a Native seed collection and preservation program to protect plant biodiversity and promote organic cultivation methods.
- Establish a Native plant nursery on territory that supports clean, chemical-free growing practices for public health and soil health.
- Create a Native plant certification program that encourages organic, regenerative farming methods and supports local economies.
- Develop a Farm-to-School initiative at the Early Childhood Learning Center to introduce children to the benefits of eating clean, pesticide-free foods that support gut health and long-term wellness.
- Implement the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) at the Farmers Market, making gut-friendly, organic, and local foods accessible to low-income families while supporting sustainable agriculture.
- Expand food preservation efforts such as canning and drying to empower communities to maintain year-round access to nutritious, minimally processed foods.
- Create a natural product line (e.g., teas, tonics, salves) derived from organically grown Native plants for retail in Nation-owned convenience stores and other outlets.
- Increase the availability of clean-label, organic, nutrient-dense foods for local food shelves to improve food security and digestive health across the region.