CMN Extension’s Strategic Plan

The College of the Muscogee Nation, through its Extension Program, will provide the citizens of the Muscogee Nation with education, knowledge, and tools to improve their wellbeing through agriculture education, community development, and nutrition education.

Objective 1. Develop agriculturally-focused training modules for the overall benefit and enrichment of the Muscogee people.

1. Design an Adult Ag Education program to advance best practices in animal and plant production.
2. Produce harvesting maps and make them accessible to Tribal citizens.
3. Implement an instructional series on environmental land management, fallow land regeneration, invasive species identification, and the conservation of natural resources.
4. Create an on-demand training library for Tribal citizens to access instructional videos on common agriculture education topics and other agricultural resources as needed.

Objective 2. Preserve tribal culture and traditional knowledge through the delivery of courses and services designed to put “culture” back into agriculture.

1. Create culturally-rooted courses to foster greater awareness of Tribal arts, customs, and ceremonial practices.
2. Facilitate the preservation of the Muskogee language by systematically infusing written and spoken components of the language into all curricular offerings.
3. Coordinate heirloom seed bank collection and distribution efforts to sustain the use of traditionally and historically important plants.

Objective 3. Establish an “Eco Park” to promote agri-tourism based on the ideals, core values, and traditional ecological knowledge of the Muscogee Nation and its people.

1. Offer fieldwork-based agronomy studies with greenhouse education and cultural gardening instruction.
2. Grow crops in a college farm setting to supply area food banks and other charitable organizations with fresh fruits and vegetables.
3. Manage an agriculture education research station in conjunction with other production operations.
4. Develop interactive exhibits and displays that feature traditional arts and crafts as well as a depiction of the ancestral lifestyle.
5. Establish public hiking trails and nature walks that promote native culture.

Objective 4. Enhance the economic vitality and resilience of Chartered Communities within the Muscogee Nation.

1. Provide expert guidance and planting materials to encourage widespread use of public community gardens among rural residents.
2. Locate extension office hubs in isolated rural communities and utilize community centers to make services more assessable to all Tribal citizens.
3. Cultivate the local talent base within small tribal communities through rural leadership training.
4. Encourage the ongoing establishment of farmers’ markets in rural tribal communities.

Objective 5. Increase the yield capacity of Native businesses and provide supportive services for small businesses throughout the Muscogee Nation.

1. Help Native farms and other businesses improve their productivity through a comprehensive business development program.
2. Strengthen agribusiness and Ag economics within the Muscogee Nation with market entry and resilience training.
3. Partner with Looped Square Meat Co. to maximize its test kitchen and business incubator operations.
4. Support the efforts of Tribal artisans by developing a “Certified Muscogee” product line.

Objective 6. Nurture local young people into becoming productive Tribal citizens through proactive activities and youth development programming.

1. Initiate a “Muscogee Empowerment” training series to encourage self-sufficiency, goal attainment, and cultural pride among tribal youth.
2. Help local young people obtain valuable trade skills by arranging customized mentorship opportunities.
3. Organize a homegrown apprentice program for area youth to learn more about tribal culture and sustainable agriculture.

Objective 7. Provide learning experiences that promote voluntary adoption of healthy eating choices as well as other nutrition-related behaviors conducive to health and wellbeing.

1. Develop curricular offerings to teach healthy meal planning, comprehension of food labels, food gathering, canning, and food preparation skills.
2. Publish a Muscogee cookbook featuring indigenous foods and recipes.
3. Allocate resources to advise Tribal citizens about food sovereignty, food literacy, food sustainability, Agri-fitness, and the benefits of a traditional diet.
4. Advocate for the establishment of more farm-to-table options and natural foods within the diets of Tribal citizens.