ABOUT SWIAA

SWIAA was originally formed by tribal members to promote agriculture among Native American youth who attend colleges and universities in the field of agriculture.

Today, SWIAA has grown into an association with more than 300 members from over twenty federally recognized Native American tribes in the Southwest.

Since it was formed in 1987, SWIAA has held over 36 annual conferences. These are an opportunity for Tribal farmers, ranchers, producers, and business owners to gather and learn the latest developments in range management, agriculture production, and more. It is also an important networking event for people to connect, exchange information and resources, and build community. In addition to the conferences, SWIAA holds annual Livestock Field Days, which allow tribal members and youth to gather and get hands on learning on a range of ranch management topics.

SWIAA has been awarded and managed several grants since its foundation. These grant programs allow SWIAA to hold free educational workshops, support local ranchers and producers with one-on-one technical assistance, offer scholarships to Tribal students studying agriculture, and work towards supporting Indigenous rural economies. Food sovereignty, food security, and economic development are crucial to the success of Indigenous communities across the southwest, and SWIAA will continue the work to further these movements.