On the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona, Ed Harvey walks hundreds of overgrown acres as he helps tribal members put their once-dormant agricultural land back to work for them and their communities. Paperwork, not will or agricultural expertise, has been a consistent barrier for those on the reservation who want to grow their own food. 

As one of the hardest hit populations by the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of tribal members have found themselves navigating the complicated web of probate when attempting to secure an agricultural land use permit following the death of a family member.

One of the tribal requirements for that permit is the development of a conservation plan. And it’s been a major stumbling block, leaving permits to languish and land to stagnate for decades. 

“It throws the majority of the agricultural population off. They don’t know how to make it. It doesn’t get approved by the tribe and people are stuck within that cycle,” he said. “It doesn’t go anywhere.”

But Harvey’s experience with satellite imagery, and his background in tribal government, made it easy for him to create the plans. His passion for agriculture, and his desire to help his community, were an added bonus. To date, he’s helped nearly 140 farmers secure their agricultural land use permit.

And the Southwest Regional Food Business Center, run by the statewide economic development nonprofit Local First Arizona, helped Harvey reach even more people before the $400 million federal program was canceled in mid-July. 

“I thought it was a USDA program that was set in stone. I didn’t know it would get eliminated with the election,” Harvey said. “I had so much work to do. I had all these clients coming in.”

The Regional Food Business Center program launched in 2022 by the USDA to build resilience in local and regional food systems and ultimately minimize vulnerability to supply chain disruptions. The program strengthened national security and supported local farmers and food businesses by enhancing local competitiveness and creating new market opportunities.

With 11 other regional food business centers across the country and success stories rippling out from each, its loss has left farmers and producers wondering why. 

The Southwest Regional Food Business Center alone served more than 2,000 unique individuals and forged 492 new partnerships across four states in its brief lifespan. More than 200 businesses increased production in response to new market opportunities being unlocked. And 118 businesses reported increased sales or purchasing of regional food products. 

Kimber Lanning, Local First Arizona’s founder and CEO, said the Southwest Regional Food Business Center was a clear-cut success.

“For smaller farmers, the center was on track to provide coordination, technical assistance and capacity building to expand their operations. Many were relying on it in order for their business to survive,” Lanning said. “Now, after all this time and investment, we’re back at square one.”

Completing the five-year Regional Food Business Center program would have helped an estimated 36,000 American businesses across the country. 

Recognizing the need on the Navajo Nation, Local First Arizona thought Harvey’s expertise with conservation planning would be an asset to the center. So he was asked to become a partner. 

“Their immediate goals for this funding was the same as mine: increasing food and increasing farming capacity. That’s what I want for the people here,” Harvey said. “To hear there was funding available to help a small business like mine, I started crying, honestly.”

The partnership would cover the costs associated with the development of those conservation plans. He reached out to multiple community farm boards, representing at least 50 farmers each, to let them know about the opportunity. He broadcast it across all of the reservation’s 110 chapter houses and hung flyers in local laundromats. And then he was told the funding would actually not be available. 

“I said, ‘Ok. Well, that sucks,’” Harvey said of his reaction to the news. “I’m technically the first Navajo business to partner with something of this magnitude. It was just the biggest thing ever. Imagine growing up on government assistance all your life and being able to be part of something massive and being able to help your people and getting the rug pulled from underneath you. It was challenging.”

Harvey did eventually see enough funding come through to cover the cost of five conservation plans, moving those farmers one step closer to permit approval. Despite the setback, he continues to develop conservation plans for clients and continues to make connections for farmers with regional similarities. 

“Farming is based upon failing every year. It’s one of the greatest things farming teaches you, how to be a better farmer next year,” he said. “It makes people feel young again, being out there. I don’t know what that’s worth, probably a lot, and it slows down time. That’s for sure.”