TOCA's Tohono
O'odham Community Food System is a project dedicated to the
creation of a sustainable food system within the Tohono O'odham
community. Its goals are to:
 |
Empower
community members to reduce the high incidence of adult-onset
diabetes within the Tohono O'odham Nation. |
|
Contribute to the revitalization of the O'odham Himdag
- the Desert People's Way. |
|
Stimulate
sustainable and culturally-appropriate economic development
through food system development. |
Until
1960, diabetes was unknown among the Tohono O'odham. Today,
the O'odham have the highest rate of adult-onset diabetes
in the world with half of the population suffering from the
disease. The cause for this devastating change is the destruction
of the traditional food systems and diet. Several scientific
studies have confirmed that traditional O'odham foods - including
tepary beans, mesquite beans, cholla (cactus) buds and chia
seeds - help regulate blood sugar and significantly reduce
the effects of diabetes. In short, the consumption of traditional
O'odham foods has been documented to decrease both the rate
and severity of diabetes.
TOCA
Community Food System engages in a series of strategies in
five program areas:
| • |
Food Production |
| • |
Food
Processing |
| • |
Food
Distribution |
| • |
Education |
| • |
Culture |
The
results expected from this program include:
| • |
Increased
economic development through expanding the production
and processing of traditional foods and the food system
infrastructure. |
| • |
Creation of a stronger marketing/distribution infrastructure
for traditional foods. |
| • |
Increased education and knowledge about connection between
traditional foods, physical health and cultural survival. |
| • |
Revitalization
of traditional Tohono O'odham cultural practices. |
| • |
Ultimately,
reduction in the incidence and severity of diabetes within
the Tohono O'odham community. |
For
more information on TOCA's Community Food System, you may
download the following report:
Community Attitudes Toward Traditional Tohono O'odham Foods
|
Community Food System 
