scholarly journals Co-management of Traditional Foods: Opportunities and Limitations for Food Security in Northern First Nation Communities

ARCTIC ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 360-380
Author(s):  
Ainslie Cruickshank ◽  
Geranda Notten ◽  
Sonia Wesche ◽  
Kate Ballegooyen ◽  
Geraldine Pope
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Situational Factors ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
First Nation ◽  
Community Food Security ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Traditional Foods ◽  
Food Species ◽  
Parks Canada

Traditional foods that First Nations peoples harvest or gather from the land remain critically important for achieving and sustaining food security for many communities. In Canada’s North, land claim agreements include provisions for First Nations to participate in the governance of their traditional territories, including the co-management of important traditional (wild-harvested) food species. Because such agreements only specify the broad contours of co-management governance, their actual functioning evolves out of a complex interplay among the co-managing organizations over the course of time. This paper aims to deepen our understanding of how First Nations communities can enhance food security as participants in co-management. Our study connects research on food security with research on co-management and is the first to analyze how First Nations can improve their food security by influencing decision-making that affects traditional foods through co-management arrangements. Following a succinct review of the Indigenous food security and co-management literatures, we analyze the experiences of Kluane First Nation in enhancing community food security through the co-management of its traditional territory with Yukon Government and Parks Canada, interpreting the data in light of the theories and evidences offered by research on co-management. The analysis of data collected from semi-structured interviews and from First Nations and government resources shows that, while the co-management system is imperfect, it does offer a mechanism through which First Nations can exert influence on decisions that affect their food security. The three key themes emerging from the excerpts confirm the importance of co-management as an evolutionary and long-term process, in which trust- and relationship-building are ongoing activities that are fundamental to beneficial collaboration involving the sharing of information and power. The analysis also highlights the role of context, or situational factors, in facilitating or hindering collaboration.

scholarly journals Exploring Traditional Weaning practices in North Western Nigeria; Food, Knowledge and Culture: A Step towards Safeguarding Community Food Security

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-106
Author(s):  
Majing Oloko ◽  
Regina Ekpo
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Traditional Food ◽  
Community Food Security ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Traditional Foods ◽  
Healthy Development ◽  
Care Givers ◽  
Food Knowledge

Abstract For many women in Nigeria who practice exclusive breast feeding, the weaning period is a crucial time. This is when children are introduced to solid food and such dietary change can be challenging for them, but also for care givers who are saddled with the responsibility of providing sufficient and nutritious food that would support healthy development. At this period, many women in rural communities utilize traditional foods of various kinds as weaning food. This paper highlights traditional food used by care givers in Makarfi Local Government Area (LGA) during weaning and the cultural teachings attached to weaning practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted for 60 women who were purposefully selected from the ten districts in Makarfi LGA in Kaduna state, Nigeria because of their status as care givers. Results show that 95% of the participants derive their knowledge about foods used for weaning through cultural teachings that has been passed down through generations, while 5% got information from health practitioners. Some of the traditional foods used for weaning purposes include gyeda (Arachis hypoaea) and gero (Sorghum bicolar). This study reinforces the importance of traditional food and knowledge; and the need to take into consideration cultural practices when making food security policies.

Assessing the Contribution of Traditional Foods to Food Security for the Wapekeka First Nation of Canada

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A Robidoux ◽  
Derek Winnepetonga ◽  
Sylvia Santosa ◽  
François Haman
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
First Nation ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Household Food Security ◽  
Traditional Food ◽  
Traditional Foods ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Impact

The food security crisis and disproportionately high burden of dietary related disease amongst northern Indigenous populations in Canada continues to be a troubling reality with little sign of improvement. The Government of Canada is responding by developing programs to support local food initiatives for northern isolated communities. While such investments appear commendable, the impact of local food harvesting to improve food security has yet to be determined. While there are clear nutritional and cultural benefits to traditional food sources, communities face considerable barriers acquiring it in sufficient amounts because of historically imposed lifestyle changes that have increased food insecurity rates. This study responds by providing a novel multidisciplinary approach that draws from firsthand experiences working with First Nations community members in a remote subarctic region in northwestern, Ontario to estimate their community’s total food requirement and the amount of wild animal food sources needed to sustain yearly food intake. This transferrable energy demand approach will be critical for policy makers to put into perspective the amount of wild food needed to have an impact on food security rates and ultimately improve dietary related diseases. Novelty: • It will provide government policy makers information about current harvest yields in a remote northern First Nation to understand the potential contribution of traditional food to improve local food security • Provides Indigenous communities a means to assess local food resources to measure the caloric contributions of traditional foods toward household food security

scholarly journals Importance of traditional foods for the food security of two First Nations communities in the Yukon, Canada

2011 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 286-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roseanne C. Schuster ◽  
Eleanor E. Wein ◽  
Cindy Dickson ◽  
Hing Man Chan
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Traditional Foods

scholarly journals Impacts of place and social spaces on traditional food systems in southwestern Ontario

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah T. Neufeld ◽  
Chantelle A. M. Richmond ◽  
Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
First Nation ◽  
Indigenous Populations ◽  
Dietary Quality ◽  
Traditional Food ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Traditional Foods ◽  
Urban Mothers ◽  
Economic Barriers ◽  
City Of London

<p>Processes of environmental dispossession have had dramatic consequences for dietary quality, cultural identity, and the integrity of traditional food systems (TFS) in many Indigenous populations. These transitions have not been documented among First Nation people in southwestern Ontario, and virtually no studies have investigated TFS in southern or urban regions of Canada. Nested within a larger community-centred project designed to better understand the social and spatial determinants of food choice and patterns of food security, the objective of this paper was to explore First Nation mothers’ knowledge about access, availability, and practices relating to traditional foods in the city of London, Ontario, and nearby First Nation reserves. In 2010, twenty-five women participated in semi-structured interviews that were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed with input from community partners. Our results centre on the women’s stories about access, preferences, knowledge, and sharing of traditional foods. Those living on a reserve relied more consistently on traditional foods, as proximity to land, family, and knowledge permitted improved access. Urban mothers faced transportation and economic barriers alongside knowledge loss related to the use and preparation of traditional foods. Overall our results demonstrate uneven geographic challenges for First Nation engagement in TFS, with urban mothers experiencing uniquely greater challenges than those residing on a reserve.</p>

scholarly journals Transferrable Principles to Revolutionize Drinking Water Governance in First Nation Communities in Canada

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3091
Author(s):  
Alison Irvine ◽  
Corinne Schuster-Wallace ◽  
Sarah Dickson-Anderson ◽  
Lalita Bharadwaj
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Holistic Health ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
First Nation ◽  
Community Capacity Building ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
Management Recommendations

There are analogous challenges when it comes to the management and provision of health services and drinking water in First Nations reserves in Canada; both represent human rights and both involve complex and multijurisdictional management. The purpose of this study is to translate the tenets of Jordan’s Principle, a child-first principle regarding health service provision, within the broader context of First Nation drinking water governance in order to identify avenues for positive change. This project involved secondary analysis of data from 53 semi-structured, key informant (KI) interviews across eight First Nation communities in western Canada. Data were coded according to the three principles of: provision of culturally inclusive management, safeguarding health, and substantive equity. Failure to incorporate Traditional Knowledge, water worldviews, and holistic health as well as challenges to technical management were identified as areas currently restricting successful drinking water management. Recommendations include improved infrastructure, increased resources (both financial and non-financial), in-community capacity building, and relationship building. To redress the inequities currently experienced by First Nations when it comes to management of and access to safe drinking water, equitable governance structures developed from the ground up and embedded in genuine relationships between First Nations and Canadian federal government agencies are required.

scholarly journals Exploring the Perceptions of and Experiences with Traditional Foods among First Nations Female Youth: A Participatory Photovoice Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 2214
Author(s):  
Rebecca Hanemaayer ◽  
Kimberley Anderson ◽  
Jess Haines ◽  
Kitty RLynn Lickers ◽  
Adrianne Lickers Xavier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Communities ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Traditional Food ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Traditional Foods ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Photovoice Methodology

Traditional foods contribute to the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples. Many Indigenous Peoples within Canada have expressed a desire to consume more traditional foods; however, there are a number of barriers to doing so. Southern and urban communities face unique challenges associated with traditional food consumption. To address these concerns and build on community interests in a Haudenosaunee community in Southern Ontario, a participatory research project was initiated. This community-based study utilized Photovoice methodology to explore the perceptions of and experiences with traditional foods among local youth. Participants ranging in age from 15–22 (n = 5) took photos of their local food environments, including locations where foods were acquired, consumed, prepared, or shared during two seasons of the year. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect participants’ stories behind 8–10 self-selected images. A thematic analysis was subsequently utilized to identify patterns and themes illustrated by the photos and interview content. The youth conveyed contextual understandings of traditional foods and a preference for these items, despite their limited consumption, preparation or harvesting of these foods. The youth also identified the important influence of families and communities on their individual perceptions and experiences with traditional foods. Recommendations to reduce barriers to traditional food choices among youth are made.

Community Food Security in Pictou Landing First Nation

2017 ◽  
pp. 41-57
Author(s):  
Pictou Landing First Nation ◽  
Irena Knezevic
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
First Nation ◽  
Community Food Security

Nimíciwinán, nipimátisiwinán – “Our food is our way of life”: On-Reserve First Nation perspectives on community food security and sovereignty through oral history in Fisher River Cree Nation, Manitoba

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shailesh Shukla ◽  
Jazmin Alfaro ◽  
Carol Cochrane ◽  
Cindy Garson ◽  
Gerald Mason ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Oral History ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Food Sovereignty ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Community Food Security ◽  
Consumption Practices ◽  
Indigenous Foods ◽  
Oral History Interviews

Food insecurity in Indigenous communities in Canada continue to gain increasing attention among scholars, community practitioners, and policy makers. Meanwhile, the role and importance of Indigenous foods, associated knowledges, and perspectives of Indigenous peoples (Council of Canadian Academies, 2014) that highlight community voices in food security still remain under-represented and under-studied in this discourse. University of Winnipeg (UW) researchers and Fisher River Cree Nation (FRCN) representatives began an action research partnership to explore Indigenous knowledges associated with food cultivation, production, and consumption practices within the community since 2012. The participatory, place-based, and collaborative case study involved 17 oral history interviews with knowledge keepers of FRCN. The goal was to understand their perspectives of and challenges to community food security, and to explore the potential role of Indigenous food knowledges in meeting community food security needs. In particular, the role of land-based Indigenous foods in meeting community food security through restoration of health, cultural values, identity, and self-determination were emphasized by the knowledge keepers—a vision that supports Indigenous food sovereignty. The restorative potential of Indigenous food sovereignty in empowering individuals and communities is well-acknowledged. It can nurture sacred relationships and actions to renew and strengthen relationships to the community’s own Indigenous land-based foods, previously weakened by colonialism, globalization, and neoliberal policies.

scholarly journals Drinking Water Consumption Patterns: An Exploration of Risk Perception and Governance in Two First Nations Communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 6851
Author(s):  
Neal Spicer ◽  
Brenda Parlee ◽  
Molly Chisaakay ◽  
Doug Lamalice
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Bottled Water ◽  
Consumption Patterns ◽  
First Nation ◽  
Individual Risk

Many Indigenous communities across Canada suffer from the lack of access to clean drinking water; ensuring individuals and communities have safe water to drink either from their home or from their local environment requires the consideration of multiple factors including individual risk perception. In collaboration with local leaders, semi-structured interviews (n = 99) were conducted over a two-year period in the Dene Tha’ First Nation and Kátł’odeeche First Nation to unpack the issue of risk perception and its meaning to local community members. These local metrics of risk perception including smell, taste, safety, health fears and level of concern were then used to explore patterns in other data on drinking water consumption patterns and bottled water use. The results are consistent with previous research related to water insecurity and indicate that both communities consume more bottled water than the average Canadian. Results also varied by jurisdiction; those in Alberta indicated much higher levels of concern and a greater degree of bottled water consumption.

“Spending all this time stressing and worrying and calculating”: Marginal Food Security and Student Life at a Diverse Urban University

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Ryan J Gamba ◽  
Michael T Schmeltz ◽  
Nancy Ortiz ◽  
Alina Engelman ◽  
Juleen Lam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Academic Motivation ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
High Food ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Food Security Status

Abstract Objective: Food security status is a continuum ranging from high to very low food security. While marginal food security falls next to high food security on the spectrum, new quantitative research indicates marginal food security status is associated with negative health outcomes and poor academic performance among college students. Qualitative research focusing on college students experiencing marginal food security has not been conducted. This study aims to qualitatively explore experiences of college students with marginal food security and to identify themes to better understand and provide context regarding how marginal food security impacts students. Design: Students were recruited for semi-structured interviews with questions designed to study the challenges associated with students’ food situations. All interviews were recorded and transcribed with themes identified via an inductive approach. Setting: A large public university on the US west coast. Participants: Thirty college students. Results: Key themes that emerged: purchasing cheap unhealthy foods; insufficient time to prepare and eat meals on a regular basis; stress and anxiety around the inability to eat healthy food and future health issues; self-perception of health when eating poorly along with physical symptoms; and low academic motivation by not fully participating in their courses due to few healthy food options or missing meals. Conclusion: Marginal food security can potentially diminish students’ health and their capacity to learn and succeed in their coursework. The results emphasize that students experiencing marginal food security should not be grouped with students experiencing high food security.

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