25 U.S.C. § 3701 — Findings

Page 604 TITLE 25—INDIANS § 3701 Sec. 3712. Indian participation in land management ac- tivities. 3713. Indian agricultural lands trespass. 3714. Assessment of Indian agricultural manage- ment programs. 3715. Leasing of Indian agricultural lands. SUBCHAPTER II—EDUCATION IN AGRICULTURE MANAGEMENT 3731. Indian and Alaska Native agriculture man- agement education assistance programs. 3732. Postgraduation recruitment, education and training programs. 3733. Cooperative agreement between Department of the Interior and Indian tribes. 3734. Obligated service; breach of contract. SUBCHAPTER III—GENERAL PROVISIONS 3741. Regulations. 3742. Trust responsibility. 3743. Severability. 3744. Federal, State and local authority. 3745. Authorization of appropriations. 3746. Tribal immunity. § 3701. Findings The Congress finds and declares that— (1) the United States and Indian tribes have a government to government relationship; (2) the United States has a trust responsi- bility to protect, conserve, utilize, and man- age Indian agricultural lands consistent with its fiduciary obligation and its unique rela- tionship with Indian tribes; (3) Indian agricultural lands are renewable and manageable natural resources which are vital to the economic, social, and cultural wel- fare of many Indian tribes and their members; and (4) development and management of Indian agricultural lands in accordance with inte- grated resource management plans will ensure proper management of Indian agricultural lands and will produce increased economic re- turns, enhance Indian self-determination, pro- mote employment opportunities, and improve the social and economic well-being of Indian and surrounding communities. (Pub. L. 103–177, § 2, Dec. 3, 1993, 107 Stat. 2011.) Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries SHORT TITLE Pub. L. 103–177, § 1, Dec. 3, 1993, 107 Stat. 2011, provided that: ‘‘This Act [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘American Indian Agricultural Resource Manage- ment Act’.’’ § 3702. Purposes The purposes of this chapter are to— (1) carry out the trust responsibility of the United States and promote the self-determina- tion of Indian tribes by providing for the man- agement of Indian agricultural lands and re- lated renewable resources in a manner con- sistent with identified tribal goals and prior- ities for conservation, multiple use, and sus- tained yield; (2) authorize the Secretary to take part in the management of Indian agricultural lands, with the participation of the beneficial owners of the land, in a manner consistent with the trust responsibility of the Secretary and with the objectives of the beneficial owners; (3) provide for the development and manage- ment of Indian agricultural lands; and (4) increase the educational and training op- portunities available to Indian people and communities in the practical, technical, and professional aspects of agriculture and land management to improve the expertise and technical abilities of Indian tribes and their members. (Pub. L. 103–177, § 3, Dec. 3, 1993, 107 Stat. 2011.) § 3703. Definitions For the purposes of this chapter: (1) The term ‘‘Indian agricultural lands’’ means Indian land, including farmland and rangeland, but excluding Indian forest land, that is used for the production of agricultural products, and Indian lands occupied by indus- tries that support the agricultural commu- nity, regardless of whether a formal inspection and land classification has been conducted. (2) The term ‘‘agricultural product’’ means— (A) crops grown under cultivated condi- tions whether used for personal consump- tion, subsistence, or sold for commercial benefit; (B) domestic livestock, including cattle, sheep, goats, horses, buffalo, swine, reindeer, fowl, or other animal specifically raised and utilized for food or fiber or as beast of bur- den; (C) forage, hay, fodder, feed grains, crop residues and other items grown or harvested for the feeding and care of livestock, sold for commercial profit, or used for other pur- poses; and (D) other marketable or traditionally used materials authorized for removal from In- dian agricultural lands. (3) The term ‘‘agricultural resource’’ means— (A) all the primary means of production, including the land, soil, water, air, plant communities, watersheds, human resources, natural and physical attributes, and man- made developments, which together com- prise the agricultural community; and (B) all the benefits derived from Indian ag- ricultural lands and enterprises, including cultivated and gathered food products, fi- bers, horticultural products, dyes, cultural or religious condiments, medicines, water, aesthetic, and other traditional values of ag- riculture. (4) The term ‘‘agricultural resource manage- ment plan’’ means a plan developed under sec- tion 3711(b) of this title. (5) The term ‘‘Bureau’’ means the Bureau of Indian Affairs of the Department of the Inte- rior. (6) The term ‘‘farmland’’ means Indian land excluding Indian forest land that is used for production of food, feed, fiber, forage and seed oil crops, or other agricultural products, and may be either dryland, irrigated, or irrigated pasture. (7) The term ‘‘Indian forest land’’ means for- est land as defined in section 3103(3) of this title.