Hidden Roots, Future Harvests–Growing Food in an Arid Land

Hidden Roots, Future Harvests™ is an ongoing community series presented by Slow Food Prescott exploring the cultural, ecological, and historical roots of food in the Southwest and beyond. Through presentations, conversations, demonstrations, experiential learning, and shared meals, the series connects people to the stories, traditions, and communities that continue to shape how food is grown, prepared, and understood across generations.

Each program honors traditional knowledge while exploring its relevance to today’s challenges of climate resilience, food security, sustainable agriculture, and community well-being.

The second chapter of the series, Growing Food in an Arid Land, builds upon the inaugural program featuring Gary Paul Nabhan, which explored the history and culture of agave in the Southwest. This chapter turns to Indigenous agriculture and food traditions, with particular emphasis on Hopi dryland farming, food sovereignty, seed stewardship, resilience, and traditional ecological knowledge.

Together, these first two programs establish the series’ central theme: learning from the wisdom of the past to cultivate a more resilient food future.

Rather than simply presenting a lecture, the evening is designed as an immersive community gathering where participants experience the landscape, hear directly from Indigenous knowledge holders, share a meal inspired by Hopi traditions, and engage in meaningful conversation.

The event is in partnership with the Yavapai-Prescott Tribe. During the event, participants will travel from the Yavapai-Prescott Tribe Community Gathering Center to the Community garden for a tour.

More information and tickets can be found on the Slow Food Prescott website.