Title 25IndiansRelease 119-73

§3703 Definitions

Title 25 › Chapter CHAPTER 39— - AMERICAN INDIAN AGRICULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT › § 3703

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Defines key words used in the chapter. Indian agricultural lands means Indian land (not forest) used to grow farm products or land with businesses that support farming, even if no formal inspection was done. Agricultural product means crops, animals raised for food or fiber, feed and forage, and other marketable or traditional materials taken from those lands. Agricultural resource means the things used to farm (land, soil, water, air, plants, people, buildings, etc.) and the benefits they produce (food, fiber, medicines, cultural and other values). Agricultural resource management plan means a plan made under section 3711(b). Bureau means the Bureau of Indian Affairs (Department of the Interior). Farmland means Indian non-forest land used for food, feed, fiber or seed oil crops (dry or irrigated). Indian forest land is defined in section 3103(3). Indian means a member of an Indian tribe. Indian land means land held in trust for a tribe or land owned by an Indian or tribe with limits on sale. Indian tribe includes tribes, pueblos, and Alaska Native villages or regional corporations under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) that the U.S. recognizes. Integrated resource management plan means a tribe’s broad plan for managing water, fish, wildlife, forestry, agriculture, minerals, recreation, community resources, and related tribal plans. Land management activity covers work like soil and range surveys, farm and irrigation development, pest control, leasing and permitting, technical help, and agricultural education. Indian landowner means the Indian or tribe that owns the land or benefits from the trust. Rangeland means Indian non-forest land with mainly native grasses, shrubs, or reseeded forage used for grazing. Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.

Full Legal Text

Title 25, §3703

Indians — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

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 industries that support the agricultural community, regardless of whether a formal inspection and land classification has been conducted.
(2)The term “agricultural product” means—
(A)crops grown under cultivated conditions whether used for personal consumption, 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 burden;
(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 purposes; and
(D)other marketable or traditionally used materials authorized for removal from Indian 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 comprise the agricultural community; and
(B)all the benefits derived from Indian agricultural lands and enterprises, including cultivated and gathered food products, fibers, horticultural products, dyes, cultural or religious condiments, medicines, water, aesthetic, and other traditional values of agriculture.
(4)The term “agricultural resource management plan” means a plan developed under section 3711(b) of this title.
(5)The term “Bureau” means the Bureau of Indian Affairs of the Department of the Interior.
(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 forest land as defined in section 3103(3) of this title.
(8)The term “Indian” means an individual who is a member of an Indian tribe.
(9)The term “Indian land” means land that is—
(A)held in trust by the United States for an Indian tribe; or
(B)owned by an Indian or Indian tribe and is subject to restrictions against alienation.
(10)The term “Indian tribe” means any Indian tribe, band, nation, pueblo, or other organized group or community, including any Alaska Native village or regional corporation as defined in or established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), which is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians.
(11)The term “integrated resource management plan” means the plan developed pursuant to the process used by tribal governments to assess available resources and to provide identified holistic management objectives that include quality of life, production goals and landscape descriptions of all designated resources that may include (but not be limited to) water, fish, wildlife, forestry, agriculture, minerals, and recreation, as well as community and municipal resources, and may include any previously adopted tribal codes and plans related to such resources.
(12)The term “land management activity” means all activities, accomplished in support of the management of Indian agricultural lands, including (but not limited to)—
(A)preparation of soil and range inventories, farmland and rangeland management plans, and monitoring programs to evaluate management plans;
(B)agricultural lands and on-farm irrigation delivery system development, and the application of state of the art, soil and range conservation management techniques to restore and ensure the productive potential of Indian lands;
(C)protection against agricultural pests, including development, implementation, and evaluation of integrated pest management programs to control noxious weeds, undesirable vegetation, and vertebrate or invertebrate agricultural pests;
(D)administration and supervision of agricultural leasing and permitting activities, including determination of proper land use, carrying capacities, and proper stocking rates of livestock, appraisal, advertisement, negotiation, contract preparation, collecting, recording, and distributing lease rental receipts;
(E)technical assistance to individuals and tribes engaged in agricultural production or agribusiness; and
(F)educational assistance in agriculture, natural resources, land management and related fields of study, including direct assistance to tribally-controlled community colleges in developing and implementing curriculum for vocational, technical, and professional course work.
(13)The term “Indian landowner” means the Indian or Indian tribe that—
(A)owns such Indian land, or
(B)is the beneficiary of the trust under which such Indian land is held by the United States.
(14)The term “rangeland” means Indian land, excluding Indian forest land, on which the native vegetation is predominantly grasses, grass-like plants, forbs, half-shrubs or shrubs suitable for grazing or browsing use, and includes lands revegetated naturally or artificially to provide a forage cover that is managed as native vegetation.
(15)The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Interior.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, referred to in par. (10), is Pub. L. 92–203, Dec. 18, 1971, 85 Stat. 688, which is classified generally to chapter 33 (§ 1601 et seq.) of Title 43, Public Lands. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1601 of Title 43 and Tables.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

25 U.S.C. § 3703

Title 25Indians

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73