Restoring Food Sovereignty: How Tribal Economic Development is Growing a Healthier Future

Empowering Our People Through Purpose-Driven Agriculture

Our tribal government proudly funds initiatives that not only provide jobs but also restore cultural identity and self-reliance. These programs, powered by revenue generated through strategic economic development, focus on hiring our people to produce locally sourced goods that benefit both our reservation and broader markets.

One of our most impactful efforts is LakotaGreens—a 100% Native Tribal-owned company that cultivates and sells organic, sustainable “superfood” MicroGreens. LakotaGreens exists not just as a business, but as a vital step in healing generations of dietary harm, revitalizing Indigenous foodways, and improving the overall health of the Wakpamni Lake Community.

Food Sovereignty: A Vital Mission on Pine Ridge

Operating from Batesland, South Dakota, within the heart of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, LakotaGreens symbolizes a return to Indigenous control over our food systems. Historically, federal programs disrupted traditional food practices, pushing processed, low-nutrition commodities into our communities. These rations contributed to the rise of long-term health conditions like diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

Wakpamni Lake is currently classified as a food desert—a designation for areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food. Through the concerted efforts of LakotaGreens, Powwow Gardens, GeoGreenKitchen, Wicozoni Wateca, and our Community and Family Gardens, we are changing that narrative.

Locally Grown on the Reservation: Our Growing Sites

The LakotaGreens Food Sovereignty Project utilizes three primary cultivation areas across our reservation:

• Powwow Gardens: An open-air garden that thrives in the warmer months, offering a seasonal variety of Indigenous crops and vegetables.
• GeoGreenKitchen: An innovative underground geothermal greenhouse designed for continuous, year-round food production—even in South Dakota’s coldest winters.
• LakotaGreens Indoor Facility: A state-of-the-art MicroGreens and BabyGreens facility that uses vertical farming to maximize space and efficiency.

Our Greens: Healthy, Efficient, and Sustainable

At LakotaGreens, we grow MicroGreens and BabyGreens using modern indoor farming techniques. Seeds are planted in nutrient-dense soil inside 1020 trays, requiring only minimal water. The trays are vertically stacked on shelves under full-spectrum LED grow lights, allowing optimal photosynthesis without the need for harmful pesticides or fertilizers.

Harvest Schedule:

• MicroGreens: Ready for harvest every 8–10 days
• BabyGreens: Harvested approximately every 30 days

After each harvest, we reseed and restart the cycle, ensuring a consistent year-round supply of highly nutritious, fresh greens for our community.

Even in the Harshest Winters, We Grow

Our commitment to food sovereignty doesn’t stop when the temperature drops. Thanks to the GeoGreenKitchen and our insulated indoor growing rooms, production continues even during South Dakota’s snowiest months. Unlike traditional farms that shut down during winter, LakotaGreens produces fresh, living food every day of the year.

Fresher Greens, Healthier Lives: Same-Day Harvest & Delivery

One of the standout features of LakotaGreens is our ability to harvest and deliver on the same day—significantly increasing the nutritional value of our greens. Scientific studies show that leafy greens begin to lose nutritional content within hours of being harvested. National brands may take 7–10 days to deliver, meaning key nutrients have already diminished.

With LakotaGreens, your greens go from harvest to your table in under 24 hours. That means more vitamins, minerals, and flavor with every bite.

Healing Our Land, Healing Our People

This isn’t just about farming—it’s about healing. By growing our own food again, we are reclaiming our right to health, autonomy, and dignity. Every salad mix sold by LakotaGreens supports the broader vision of self-sufficiency and resilience. It funds local jobs, supports youth involvement in agriculture, and reinforces a healthier way of life.

Food is medicine, and LakotaGreens is part of the cure.

Support Our Mission

By supporting LakotaGreens, you’re participating in a powerful act of restoration—restoring land stewardship, restoring economic opportunity, and restoring health for future generations.

Join us as we grow a future rooted in wellness, tradition, and tribal self-determination.