EP 83 – Healing Through Food, Land & Culture

In this episode of the Rural Routes to Climate Solutions podcast, we welcome Christen Falcon, from the Amskapi Piikani (Blackfeet Nation) in Montana. Christen has worked across food sovereignty, community wellness, education and Indigenous health, bringing together Blackfoot ways of knowing with modern approaches to nutrition, agriculture and holistic wellbeing. Drawing from both personal experience and professional work, she shares how reconnecting with land, food and culture can help individuals and communities heal from trauma while strengthening relationships with each other and the environment. Joining our host, Derek Leahy, Christen reflects on her journey into this work, her involvement with the Blackfeet Agricultural Resource Management Plan (ARMP), and why food security cannot be separated from mental health, culture and community. Together, they explore how traditional ecological knowledge, buffalo and beaver restoration, and stronger collaboration across the Blackfoot Confederacy can help build healthier people and healthier landscapes. Throughout the conversation, Christen offers a hopeful vision for the future: one where communities are more self-reliant, connected to their traditional foods and medicines, and leading land stewardship through Blackfoot ways of knowing. Highlights 05:35 – Christen introduces herself and shares how childhood experiences shaped her passion for food, health and Blackfeet Ways of Knowing. 16:44 – Derek asks how Christen got involved with the Blackfeet Agricultural Resource Management Plan (ARMP) and its vision for food sovereignty. 20:35 – Christen began contacting and connecting with partnerships, meat processing and reconnecting people with traditional foods. 23:51 – Why addressing trauma and survival mode is essential before people can reconnect with land, culture and environmental stewardship. 29:14 – Derek asks Christen about the healing power of spending time on the land, and how traditional knowledge deepens that connection. 31:59 – Christen discusses what it will take to achieve Blackfeet food sovereignty. 37:51 – How Blackfeet Ways of Knowing and agriculture can work together or have common threads?  45:33 – Christen shares her vision for healthier communities, stronger cultural connections and Indigenous-led stewardship for future generations. Useful links: Siksikaitsitapi Agriculture Project Blackfeet Agricultural Resource Management Plan Want to learn more? To listen to our other podcast episodes from the SAP project, visit the producers resource hub.