Our Vision
Our vision is to honor Indigenous food sovereignty and traditional knowledge by building ethical partnerships that create sustainable futures, rooted in California's native plant foods. We believe that by centering Indigenous voices, we can strengthen partnerships built on mutual trust and respect for all.
2026 UC Davis California Native Plant Foods Celebration and Symposium: Research Needs and Opportunities
A Multi-Stakeholder Gathering for Knowledge Exchange and Partnership Development
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The University of California, Davis Department of Plant Sciences, in collaboration with the Departments of Native American Studies and Nutrition, Native American Academic Student Success Center, and the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, is hosting an inaugural one-day celebration and symposium on California Native plant foods. This gathering, supported by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) and the California Native Plant Society (CNPS), will be held on February 10, 2026, at the UC Davis Conference Center. It will establish ethical frameworks for academic-Tribal partnerships, unified by the shared purpose of honoring Indigenous food sovereignty and traditional knowledge systems.
The event will convene Tribal leaders, academic researchers, government agencies, and food system practitioners for a multi-stakeholder gathering. Activities will include research presentations, Indigenous-led cultural exchange panels, hands-on workshops, and tastings of California plant foods. This symposium commits to ethical, non-extractive, and reciprocal methodologies to build academic-Tribal partnerships built on mutual trust and respect. We invite participants from across all disciplines who are interested in celebrating both the cultural preservation and advancements in these areas, united by a commitment to build climate-resilient food systems.
Context and Significance
California Native plant foods are more than just a resource; they are a living link between culture, health, and the land. While California hosts the highest plant species diversity in the U.S., the region’s Native food plants historically stewarded by Indigenous peoples for millennia are largely absent from modern food systems. Traditional ecological knowledge faces erosion and undervaluation by scientists and policy-makers, while Native communities struggle with equitable access to culturally significant plants and traditional gathering areas.
Recognizing that academic institutions have historically appropriated Indigenous knowledge without proper acknowledgment or benefit-sharing, this symposium commits to ethical protocols that honor Indigenous food sovereignty and self-determination. In alignment with principles of food sovereignty from the Declaration of Nyéléni, we are committed to a process that "puts the aspirations and needs of those who produce, distribute and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets and corporations."
Leadership and Collaboration
The initiative is being led by Daniel Potter, Ph.D. (Chair of Plant Sciences) with University of California systemwide collaborators working in consultation with Tribal partners.
This project is built on five core principles:
Honoring Indigenous Food & Knowledge Sovereignty
Building Ethical Academic-Tribal Partnerships
Revitalizing Native Food Systems & Culture
Fostering Cross-Generational & Cross-Sector Engagement
Promoting Health & Ecological Resilience.
The interdisciplinary team brings together a diverse range of expertise, united by the central theme of California Native plant foods. This includes expertise in Indigenous food sovereignty (Liza Grandia, Ph.D., Chair of Native American Studies), Native environmental policy (Beth Rose Middleton Manning, Ph.D.), Traditional Ecological Knowledge (M. Kat Anderson, Ph.D.), and underutilized plant species research (Ph.D. candidate Will McMahan). The team also provides specialized knowledge in nutrition (Cassandra Nguyen, Ph.D.), food sovereignty and climate resilience (Nina Fontana, Ph.D.), and Indigenous land stewardship (Ph.D. candidate Landin Thunder Noland). Supporting this research are recent undergraduate students specializing in ecological management and restoration (Carmen Elias Carillo) and environmental horticulture and urban forestry (Diana Cordova). This foundational expertise is supported by a deep understanding of culturally relevant education and knowledge access (Michelle Villegas-Frazier) and community-led collaboration, communication, partnership development and public engagement (Heather Hayashi), ensuring the project successfully bridges academic research with community-based engagement.
The symposium was approved as a Programmatic Initiative by the Dean's Office of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) and has support from the California Native Plant Society, with ongoing development efforts to identify additional partners. The one-day conference will bring together Tribal leaders, government officials, and university leadership to acknowledge and celebrate California Native plant foods as a catalyst for fostering new collaborations that advance both conservation and cultural revitalization goals, as well as health and food security for all our communities.
Participants and Approach
The diverse array of symposium participants will be united by their connection to California Native plant foods, including Tribal leaders and knowledge holders, Indigenous peoples from across California and those whose traditional territories span modern borders–including from Mexico and Central America. We welcome participants from across all disciplines—from the sciences to the arts and humanities—who are interested in discussing how their work relates to supporting California Native plant foods and the communities that rely on and celebrate them.
We are committed to creating an inclusive, multigenerational gathering that unites participants from all levels and sectors, including non-profit organizations, government agencies, industry practitioners, public gardens and farms, and students. By welcoming families, elders, and youth, we recognize that traditional knowledge transmission occurs across generations and that all ages have valuable perspectives to contribute. This event will be open to all who are interested in celebrating both the cultural preservation and advancements in these areas.
We envision this gathering as both a scholarly symposium and a celebration—a renewal of relationships where Tribal members lead the conversation and UC Davis researchers listen, learn, and commit to equitable, mutually beneficial partnerships. Tribal knowledge holders and Indigenous practitioners who participate in symposium planning, presentations, and workshops will receive honoraria in recognition of their contributions, and the timing considers traditional planting and harvesting cycles, while we welcome continuous input from Tribal participants on optimal scheduling.
Event Structure and Activities
The event is designed to be a holistic experience that blends scholarly inquiry with cultural celebration. Activities will include::
Research and Dialogue: Presentations will focus on community-driven priorities, with talks and posters showcasing current projects. Researchers will also be available for direct engagement at exhibits and tables in the exhibit rooms and hall
Cultural Exchange: Panels will be community-led fostering a renewal of relationships and dialogue. Ongoing cultural demonstrations will serve as hands-on workshops, offering direct, live experiences in sustainable harvesting, food preparation, and other traditional plant food practices
Culinary Celebration: Meals will be prepared by chefs who center Native communities and sustainable well-being in their work, featuring California Native plant foods and connecting the food to its cultural and nutritional significance. Tastings will offer a sensory experience of the culinary traditions at the heart of the symposium
Key Discussion Topics
Knowledge Sovereignty and Biopiracy Prevention: Protecting Indigenous intellectual property and preventing extractive research practices
Reciprocal Research Methodologies: Non-extractive approaches to collaborative knowledge sharing
Ethnobotany and Traditional Knowledge: Plant-people relationships, traditional uses, and management practices
Access and Land Stewardship: Developing sustainable policies for traditional gathering areas and culturally significant plants
Nutrition and Food Science: Nutritional benefits and health applications
Traditional Land Management and Ecological Restoration: Fire management, habitat restoration, and landscape stewardship
Economics and Ethical Commercialization: Responsible market development that benefits Tribal communities
Education and Mentorship: Cultivating the next generation of Indigenous scholars, researchers, and community leaders
Future Funding and Partnership Opportunities: Supporting community-controlled research and development
Expected Outcomes
Food Systems Development:
Connect traditional harvesting and processing methods with sustainable food systems
Explore commercialization pathways that benefit Tribal communities
Document nutritional properties and health benefits of California Native food plants
Establish ethical frameworks for potential market development
Support traditional food revitalization initiatives
Community Benefit:
Preserve Traditional Ecological Knowledge and harvesting practices
Improve Tribal access to culturally significant plant resources
Support food sovereignty initiatives, self-determination, and cultural identity restoration
Strengthen Tribal agency in decisions affecting traditional foodways and land relationships
Address chronic health issues through traditional diets
Develop educational resources for knowledge transmission
Sustainability & Resilience:
Document traditional fire management, land stewardship, and harvesting practices
Explore climate adaptation strategies using Native food plants and traditional ecological knowledge
Support biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration through traditional plant management
Connect Native plant foods to ecosystem services, watershed health, and landscape resilience
Develop sustainable access guidelines that honor both conservation and cultural protocols
Timing and Relevance
The timing is particularly relevant given increasing interest in Indigenous food sovereignty, growing focus on climate-resilient food systems, rising awareness of Native plants' ecological importance, expanding market opportunities for Native foods, and the critical need for conservation of traditional knowledge. Revitalizing Native plant products can preserve flora and cultural traditions while providing economic, environmental, and health benefits to California communities.
Commitment to Ethical Engagement
Through carefully structured engagement and clear protocols for knowledge sharing, this celebration and symposium represents our commitment to establishing ethical protocols that explicitly reject biopiracy and extractive research practices. We prioritize non-extractive, reciprocal methodologies that honor Indigenous food sovereignty, knowledge sovereignty, and self-determination while addressing historical injustices and strengthening partnerships built on mutual trust and respect. We invite participation not only in attending but in planning this gathering, recognizing that meaningful collaboration begins with the design process itself and requires ongoing relationship-building rather than transactional engagement.