Northern Arizona University

RAFT—Renewing America's Food Traditions

Have you ever eaten a meal rich with juices, flavors, and fragrances that have taken centuries to develop? A tender pear once planted in Thomas Jefferson’s orchards, an oily fish that built trade routes in the Northwest, a hot pepper that tells the story of Minorcan immigration to Florida—these are the stories of North American traditions that lie hidden within our foods. Yet many of these foods have been rapidly disappearing from our tables. In the United States alone, 63% of native American crop varieties have disappeared from cultivation since European arrival on this continent.

With these losses has come a decline in traditional ecological and culinary knowledge, and declines in the food rituals which link communities to place and cultural heritage. If these culinary delights persist only in our history books we will have lost an important cultural legacy and future generations will be deprived of the exquisite flavors found in these heritage foods. 

RAFT is a coalition of seven of the most prominent non-profit food, agriculture, conservation, and educational organizations dedicated to rescuing America’s diverse foods and food traditions. These organizations include: American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, Center for Sustainable Environments at Northern Arizona University, Chefs Collaborative, Cultural Conservancy, Native Seed/SEARCH, Seed Savers Exchange, and Slow Food USA. The coalition was formalized between January and March of 2004 to support a synergy between these partners and local, tribal, or regional groups of producers in their on-going work of safeguarding and revitalizing authentically American foods. The RAFT project has now received three years of support from the Cedar Tree Foundation, in addition to its start-up support from the CS Fund and the Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust.

Why RAFT?

The How of RAFT

Regional workshops on traditional foods at risk

What can YOU do?

RAFT in the News

More about RAFT’s founding partners