Project

Food Sovereignty and Community Gardening

Supporting local efforts to revitalize food sovereignty through raised bed gardening.

We’re working alongside the Sipayik community of the Passamaquoddy Tribe to revitalize local food systems through raised bed gardening. This community-driven effort supports food sovereignty, builds gardening skills, and reconnects community members with traditional foodways and land-based practices.

Project Goals:

  • Support raised bed garden installations at homes and community centers.
  • Provide training and mentorship in sustainable gardening and food preservation.
  • Strengthen food sovereignty and community resilience.
  • Expand support to additional tribal communities in Maine and beyond.

The Indigenous Partnerships team has supported the revitalization of raised bed gardening within the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik. What began as a small effort to install garden beds has grown into a larger movement, led by community champions, to empower families and strengthen connections to traditional food systems.

Raised beds are now flourishing at homes, elder centers, youth centers, and other community hubs, with support from the tribal highway department, tribal interns, and Wabanaki Youth in Science. The initiative also includes seasonal education: from planting and companion cropping to fall harvest, canning, and preservation. Plans are underway to expand gardening opportunities to Madawaska and Penobscot communities, and explore long-term food sovereignty goals like revitalizing underused tribal farmland.

Project Team: