10
Oct
This Indigenous Peoples’ Day Demands Environmental Justice and Organic Transition
(Beyond Pesticides, October 10-13, 2025) On Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Monday, October 13), Beyond Pesticides acknowledges that we recognize that the land we are situated on is the ancestral lands of the Ncothtank (Anacostan), and neighboring Piscataway and Pamunkey peoples, who have served as stewards for the region’s land, water, and air for generations. In reverence for the sovereignty and leadership of First Nations, and with respect for the wisdom of Indigenous peoples globally, environmental and public health advocates continue to advocate for the elimination of petrochemical-based pesticides and fertilizers, and the advancement of organic regenerative criteria that align with ecologically-based food and land management systems.
This year, Indigenous Peoples’ Day falls on the petrochemical fertilizer industry-supported Global Fertilizer Day, which promotes synthetic fertilizers, rather than recognizing the value of agroecology—the shared understanding of the inextricable link that binds agricultural and ecological systems.
Reflection of Turbulent U.S. Position on Indigenous Sovereignty
The federal holiday on October 13, traditionally known as Columbus Day, has for many been reoriented to recognize that the “discovery” of the Americas was, in fact, an invasion of the Western hemisphere by European colonists who expropriated unceded land and devastated Indigenous cultures, self-governance, and ways of life. In fact, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), adopted in 2007, found:
“[I]ndigenous peoples have suffered from historic injustices as a result of, inter alia, their colonization and dispossession of their lands, territories and resources, thus preventing them from exercising, in particular, their right to development in accordance with their own needs and interests.”
The Biden Administration took steps toward recognizing Indigenous systems when issuing proclamations on previous Indigenous Peoples’ Days in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, as covered in previous Daily News. The 2024 Proclamation on Indigenous Peoples’ Day reads as follows:
“The history of America’s Indigenous peoples is marked by perseverance, survival, and a deep commitment to and pride in their heritage, right to self-governance, and ways of life. Since time immemorial, Indigenous peoples have built and sustained powerful Tribal Nations, cultivated rich cultures, and established vibrant communities. And their discoveries and knowledge still benefit us today. But because of our Nation’s failed policies of the past, generations of Native peoples have faced cruelty, violence, and intimidation. They were forced to leave their homelands, prohibited from speaking their own languages and practicing their sacred traditions, and forced into assimilation. Indigenous lives were lost, livelihoods were ripped away, and communities were fundamentally altered. Despite the trauma and turmoil, Indigenous peoples have persisted and survived. Their stories are testaments to the bravery and resolve of generations to preserve their heritage, cultures, and identities for those to come after them.”
In May, President Trump said he would not recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Numerous funding pools and programs are being targeted for dismantling, as highlighted by the National Indian Health Board, as well as a joint report produced by Portland State University (PSU) and Northwest Environmental Justice Center. The Trump Administration’s Discretionary Budget Request, proposed for Fiscal Year 2026, includes:
- 4 percent overall reduction in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) topline funding ($4.16 billion), and elimination of Environmental Justice programs, overlapping with Tribal Pesticide Programs;
- $617 million reduction to Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Programs that Support Tribal Self-Governance and Tribal Communities;
- The proposed elimination of the Indian Guaranteed Loan Program and Indian Land Consolidation Program (in partnership with the Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD]);
- The proposed elimination of all EPA Pesticide Program Implementation Grants, including the elimination of multiple State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAGs) and Categorical Grants, including:
- Diesel Emissions Reduction Grant Program
- Small and Disadvantaged Communities Drinking Water Grants
- Beaches Protection Grant Program
- Brownfields Program
- Environmental Information categorical grants
- Lead Program
- Nonpoint Source (Section 319 of the Clean Water Act) categorical grants
- Pollution Control (Section 106 of the Clean Water Act) categorical grants
- Pesticides Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Cooperative Agreement Program
- Pesticides Program Implementation Grants Program
- Pollution Prevention (P2) Categorical Grants Program
- Public Water System Supervision (PWSS) Program
- Radon Program categorical grants
- State and Local Air Quality Management Program
- Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Compliance Monitoring Program
- Underground Storage Tanks (UST) Program
- Wetland Program Development Grants Program
- Resource Recovery and Hazardous Waste Grants
- $187 million cut to Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) construction program;
- Approximately $530 million of the $1.19 billion congressionally allocated funds to Northwest tribal nations in FY24 are at risk of being cut; sixty programs identified by PSU researchers were named in the GOP-led spending bill for potential cuts.
- Proposed elimination of various National Institutes of Health (NIH) programs, including:
- National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities ($534.4 million);
- National Institute of Nursing Research ($197.7 million);
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health ($170.4 million);
- Fogarty International Center ($95.2 million);
- Office of the Director, Extramural Construction Grants for Biomedical Research Facilities ($80 million).
- Proposed reductions for several programs that specifically serve Tribal Nations in the Administration for Children, Families, and Communities (ACFC):
- Proposed elimination of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Formula Grants for Indian Tribes ($45.6 million decrease from FY25 levels);
- Proposed elimination of Community Services Block Grant Formula Grants for Indian Tribes ($6.7 million reduction from FY25 levels).
- Proposed reduction of operating funds for Bureau of Indian Education post-secondary programs from $183.3 million to $22.1 million, including “career and technical schools, community colleges, four-year colleges and universities,” as reported by The Guardian in July 2025.
For additional information on federal funding cuts and further analysis of the Portland State University report, see recent coverage by Oregon Capital Chronicle.
Disproportionate Risks, Environmental Racism
In 2022, a report published in The Lancet Regional Health: Americas reflects on and identifies the “environmental violence related to pesticide exposure” that Indigenous Peoples in North America, and globally, have historically and continue to face on their lands. The authors of the report include experts from Harvard Medical School, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, United Nations Global Indigenous Youth Caucus, Mass General Brigham’s Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Medical Toxicology, George Washington University, Stanford University, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Yale University. Three of the authors are members of First Nations, including Victor A. Lopez-Carmen of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and Yaqui Nation, Anpotowin Jensen of the Oglala Lakota Nation, and Dr. Marcos Moreno of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe.
The report unpacks the role of federal and international pesticide law (Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act [FIFRA] and Rotterdam Convention [see Daily News here], respectively) in perpetuating environmental violence by permitting the manufacturing and exportation of pesticides banned in the United States to Indigenous communities outside of the country, gathering testimonials from members of the Yaqui Nation in Sonora, Mexico. “More than 80 testimonies were collected according to official UN testimony standards by Indigenous rights organizations, including the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC), and submitted to the various UN human rights bodies,” say the authors. There are 20 testimonies with open access that can be read here.
Additionally, in a survey-based study published in Journal of Environmental Health in 2023, approximately 11,326 participants identifying as “American Indian and Alaska Native” shared their experiences with occupational and environmental exposures for the Education and Research Towards Health (EARTH) Study in the Southwest U.S. and Alaska. Pesticides and petroleum ranked first and second among the most commonly reported hazards for participants in the Southwest U.S. The goal of this study was to provide “baseline data to facilitate future exposure-response analyses.”
On the subject of international solidarity, earlier this summer, the United Nations observed International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, a critical acknowledgement of Indigenous “food sovereignty, food security, biodiversity conservation and climate resilience,” as outlined in the report of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Eighteenth Session (July 14–18, 2025). As the report states, under Article 20 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, “Indigenous Peoples possess distinct economic systems rooted in traditional knowledge, practices and resources and have the right to sustain, strengthen and develop these systems in accordance with their cultures, traditions, values and aspirations.” It continues, “When deprived of their means of subsistence and development, this article provides that Indigenous Peoples are entitled to just and fair redress.” In a statement recognizing the importance of the day, Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, Albert K. Barume, focuses on the need for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to recognize that, “Indigenous Peoples have long been stewards of knowledge, biodiversity, and sustainable living [and] [w]ithout their meaningful participation, AI systems risk perpetuating historical injustices and deepening the violation of their rights.” (See Daily News here.)
Call to Action
It is our collective responsibility as environmental and public health advocates to stand in solidarity with Indigenous peoples, groups, and organizations. Beyond Pesticides was created from concerns of agricultural in/justice stemming from continuous farmworker exposure to pesticides and synthetic agrochemical inputs.
- We highlight Harvest of All First Nations (HAFN) because of their leadership in Boulder County, Colorado (“within the territory of the Hinóno’éí (Arapaho) people, and that 48 contemporary tribal nations lived, camped, hunted, and traded here for centuries”) in advancing holistic, community-centered solutions and an organic future.
- HAFN’s Food Justice & Sovereignty Program (FJS) is aimed at cultivating equitable community spaces and biodiverse gardens, empowering underserved communities through hands-on education and opportunity to connect with the land. The core activities include free bilingual educational programming focused on Indigenous agricultural practices, cultural empowerment, and community revitalization. In addition, FJS grows over 1,000 pounds of ancestral foods and medicines, donating 100 percent of the harvest to food relief organizations throughout Boulder County.
- At the 35th National Forum Series, Healthy Hives, Healthy Lives, Healthy Land: Ecological and Organic Strategies for Regeneration, you can learn more here about the environmental health effects facing Indigenous communities from Robert Shimek, former executive director of White Earth Land Recovery Project. There are also groups like Indigenous Environmental Network that are devoted to “address[ing] environmental and economic justice issues (EJ).”
While community-based, Indigenous-led organizations are continuing to model the restorative, organic agroecosystems that communities across the country wish to see, EPA announced a concerning update on October 7 in terms of the potentially indefinite termination of the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC), one of the only (somewhat) public forums to address EPA officials. The notice reads: “While undergoing its biennial review required by law, the charter for PPDC has temporarily expired as the agency makes some minor adjustments to the charter. While EPA is planning to expeditiously recharter PPDC, consistent with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (5 U.S.C. § 1008(c)), the activities of PPDC and its workgroups will temporarily cease until rechartering is complete. As a result, EPA has cancelled the November 2025 full committee public PPDC meeting.”
Meanwhile, Beyond Pesticides has developed and actively maintains the Keeping Organic Strong resource hub, a one-stop shop for you to learn about changes in organic regulations. There is currently an opportunity for the public to weigh in on the integrity of national organic standards, as the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) convenes to discuss key issues and allowed materials in organic agriculture. Public Comment Webinars are scheduled to be held on October 28 and 30, 2025, from 12 pm to 5 pm EDT, pending updates on the government shutdown. For more background, see Keeping Organic Strong and the Fall 2025 issues page. The Fall NOSB meeting will be held both in person in Omaha, Nebraska, and virtually, via live-stream from November 4, 2025, to November 6, 2025.
🆕 To advance principles of land management that align with nature, Beyond Pesticides is convening the 42nd National Forum, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature, bringing together scientists and land managers working to recognize and respect the ecosystems on which life depends. Scheduled to begin on October 29, 2025, 1:00-3:30pm (Eastern time, US), the virtual Forum is free to all participants. See our featured speakers! ➡️ Register here.
All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.
Sources: National Indian Health Board ; Portland State University ; Journal of Environmental Health ; The Guardian ; Oregon Capital Chronicle ; The Lancet Regional Health: Americas ; Harvest of All First Nations ; White Earth Land Recovery Project ; Indigenous Environmental Network
