scholarly journals “We Hardly Have Any Moose Around Here Anymore”: Climate Change and the Barriers to Food Security in the Dehcho Region, Northwest Territories

ARCTIC ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 368-385
Author(s):  
Paulina Ross ◽  
Courtney W. Mason
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Northwest Territories ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Weather Patterns ◽  
Food Procurement ◽  
Political Economic

Rural Indigenous communities across northern Canada are experiencing high rates of food insecurity as a result of complex constraints to accessing quality market foods and engaging in local food procurement. Climate change is impacting the ability of northern Indigenous communities to acquire, access, and utilize food that is culturally relevant and sustainable. This research examines the interconnected sociocultural, political, economic, and environmental challenges related to food security in the community of Fort Providence situated in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories. The objective of this research was to consult with community members to understand the impacts of climate change on local food procurement and to explore the myriad challenges related to food security. We utilized Indigenous methodologies to guide all aspects of the research. Evidence was collected using semi-structured interviews with Dene and Métis Elders, knowledgeable land-users, and other community members. Our research demonstrates that changing hydrological systems and ecosystems, unpredictable weather patterns, the presence of non-local harvesters, the loss of traditional knowledge, and the high costs of living in a rural northern community impact local food security. The results of this research can inform policies that reflect the needs of residents, address the distinct barriers to procuring local food, and provide a basis for understanding the complexities of food security in the Dehcho and other subarctic regions.

scholarly journals Examining Local Food Procurement, Adaptive Capacities and Resilience to Environmental Change in Fort Providence, Northwest Territories

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-43
Author(s):  
Paulina Paige Ross ◽  
Courtney W Mason
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Northwest Territories ◽  
Program Implementation ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Food Procurement ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Economic Barriers

By exploring localized adaptation strategies for climate change, this paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of local perspectives and efforts regarding food procurement in Fort Providence, Northwest Territories (NT). The benefits and risks associated with engaging in local food procurement activities are key topics explored. Strategies to manage food insecurity and local approaches to encourage food procurement are also considered. This study was informed by Indigenous methodologies, which guided all aspects of this research. While the researchers have collaborated with community members since 2010, evidence for this study was collected during two field seasons in the spring and fall of 2018, using semi-structured interviews with Elders, land-users, and knowledgeable community members. Findings support decentralized policy developments which focus on the integration of local voices into decision-making processes and program implementation. Food policies must reflect the needs of residents at localized levels and the distinct socio-cultural and economic barriers to procuring food, and they must encourage overall community resilience and adaptive capacities to climate-related change. This research supports regional and national efforts to reduce food insecurity across northern Canada by documenting traditional knowledge concerning climate change and local food practices in Fort Providence. 

scholarly journals Land-Based programs in the Northwest Territories: Building Indigenous food security and well-being from the ground up

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 23-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia D. Wesche ◽  
Meagan Ann F. O'Hare-Gordon ◽  
Michael A. Robidoux ◽  
Courtney W. Mason
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Northwest Territories ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Food Sovereignty ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Wild Food ◽  
Food Procurement ◽  
Food Programs

Food security in Canada’s North is complex, and there is no singular solution. We argue that land-based wild food programs are useful and effective in contributing to long-term food security, health and well-being for Indigenous communities in the context of changing environmental conditions. Such bottom-up programs support cultural continuity and the persistence of skills and knowledge that, over time, increase local food security and food sovereignty. This paper (a) highlights the link between observed environmental changes and wild food procurement in two Indigenous communities in the Northwest Territories, (b) compares and discusses the impacts of two collaboratively developed, community-based programs to improve foodways transmission and capacity for wild food procurement, and (c) identifies lessons learned and productive ways forward for those leading similar efforts in other Indigenous communities.

scholarly journals Vulnerability of Subsistence Systems Due to Social and Environmental Change: A Case Study in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska

ARCTIC ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 258-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole M. Herman-Mercer ◽  
Melinda Laituri ◽  
Maggie Massey ◽  
Elli Matkin ◽  
Ryan Toohey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Alaska Native ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Weather Patterns ◽  
Local Species ◽  
Social And Environmental Change

Arctic Indigenous communities have been classified as highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The remoteness of Arctic communities, their dependence upon local species and habitats, and the historical marginalization of Indigenous peoples enhances this characterization of vulnerability. However, vulnerability is a result of diverse historical, social, economic, political, cultural, institutional, natural resource, and environmental conditions and processes and is not easily reduced to a single metric. Furthermore, despite the widespread characterization of vulnerability, Arctic Indigenous communities are extremely resilient as evidenced by subsistence institutions that have been developed over thousands of years. We explored the vulnerability of subsistence systems in the Cup’ik village of Chevak and Yup’ik village of Kotlik through the lens of the strong seasonal dimensions of resource availability. In the context of subsistence harvesting in Alaska Native villages, vulnerability may be determined by analyzing the exposure of subsistence resources to climate change impacts, the sensitivity of a community to those impacts, and the capacity of subsistence institutions to absorb these impacts. Subsistence resources, their seasonality, and perceived impacts to these resources were investigated via semi-structured interviews and participatory mapping-calendar workshops. Results suggest that while these communities are experiencing disproportionate impacts of climate change, Indigenous ingenuity and adaptability provide an avenue for culturally appropriate adaptation strategies. However, despite this capacity for resiliency, rapid socio-cultural changes have the potential to be a barrier to community adaptation and the recent, ongoing shifts in seasonal weather patterns may make seasonally specific subsistence adaptations to landscape particularly vulnerable.

Inuit vulnerability and adaptive capacity to climate change in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada

Polar Record ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tristan Pearce ◽  
Barry Smit ◽  
Frank Duerden ◽  
James D. Ford ◽  
Annie Goose ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Northwest Territories ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Adaptive Strategies ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Climate Change Research ◽  
Climate Conditions

ABSTRACTClimate change is already being experienced in the Arctic with implications for ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. This paper argues that an assessment of community vulnerability to climate change requires knowledge of past experience with climate conditions, responses to climatic variations, future climate change projections, and non-climate factors that influence people's susceptibility and adaptive capacity. The paper documents and describes exposure sensitivities to climate change experienced in the community of Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories and the adaptive strategies employed. It is based on collaborative research involving semi-structured interviews, secondary sources of information, and participant observations. In the context of subsistence hunting, changes in temperature, seasonal patterns (for example timing and nature of the spring melt), sea ice and wind dynamics, and weather variability have affected the health and availability of some species of wildlife important for subsistence and have exacerbated risks associated with hunting and travel. Inuit in Ulukhaktok are coping with these changes by taking extra precautions when travelling, shifting modes of transportation, travel routes and hunting areas to deal with changing trail conditions, switching species harvested, and supplementing their diet with store bought foods. Limited access to capital resources, changing levels of traditional knowledge and land skills, and substance abuse were identified as key constraints to adaptation. The research demonstrates the need to consider the perspectives and experiences of local people for climate change research to have practical relevance to Arctic communities such as for the development and promotion of adaptive strategies.

scholarly journals Community Adaptation Model of Food Security Due to Global Warming in Kulon Progo

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sri Rum Giyarsih
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
Average Temperature ◽  
The Impact

Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s surface. According to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) average temperature of the Earth’s surface was global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the 0.74 ± 0.18 0C (1.33 ± 0.32 F) over the last hundred years. The impact of rising temperatures is the climate change effect on agricultural production. If the community does not craft made adaptation to global warming will have an impact on food security. This research aims to know the society’s adaptation to food security as a result of global warming and to know the influence of global warming on food security. The research was carried out based on survey methods. The influence of global warming on food security is identified with a share of household food expenditure and the identification of rainfall. Sampling was done by random sampling. The Data used are the primary and secondary data. Primary Data obtained through structured interviews and depth interview using a questionnaire while the secondary data retrieved from publication data of the Central Bureau Statistics B(BPS), Department of Agriculture and Climatology Meteorology and Geophysics (BMKG). The expected results of the study is to know variations of food security due to global warming in Kulon Progo Regency. Comprehensive knowledge through community participation and related Government increased food security that is used as the basis for drafting the model society’s adaptation to the impacts of global warming.

scholarly journals Culturally Driven Monitoring: The Importance of Traditional Ecological Knowledge Indicators in Understanding Aquatic Ecosystem Change in the Northwest Territories’ Dehcho Region

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 7923
Author(s):  
Sydney Stenekes ◽  
Brenda Parlee ◽  
Cristiana Seixas
Keyword(s):  
Northwest Territories ◽  
Traditional Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Ecosystem Change ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Hydroelectric Development ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Quality Water

There is growing concern about the sustainability of freshwater ecosystems in northern Canada that are under significant stress from climate change, resource development, and hydroelectric development, among others. Community-based monitoring (CBM) based on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) has the potential to contribute to understanding impacts on the environment and community livelihoods. This paper shares insights about culturally driven monitoring, through collaborative research with Kátł’odeeche First Nation (KFN) in the Northwest Territories. This research was initiated in 2018 to improve understanding of the changes occurring in the Hay River and Buffalo River sub-basins, which extend primarily across the Alberta and Northwest Territories borders. Drawing on 15 semi-structured interviews conducted with KFN elders, fish harvesters, and youth, this paper illustrates the kinds of social–ecological indicators used by KFN to track changes in the health of aquatic systems as well as the fishing livelihoods of local people. Utilizing indicators, fishers observe declines in fish health, water quality, water quantity, and ice thickness in their lifetime. Community members perceive these changes to be a result of the cumulative effects of environmental stressors. The indicators as well as trends and patterns being observed and experienced can contribute to both social learning in the community as well as the governance of the larger Mackenzie River Basin.

scholarly journals Yup’ik perspectives on climate change: “The world is following its people”

2011 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Fienup-Riordan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Cultural History ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Weather Patterns ◽  
The World ◽  
Ice Conditions ◽  
Younger Generation ◽  
Do So

Abstract The Nelson Island Natural and Cultural History Project originated in the desire of community members in the Yup’ik villages of Chefornak, Nightmute, Toksook Bay, Tununak, and Newtok to document and share their history with their younger generation. To do so, they invited non-Native scientists to join them in village gatherings as well as on a three-week circumnavigation of Nelson Island (Alaska), during which elders reflected on changes in weather patterns, animal migrations, sea-ice conditions, and related harvesting activities. To date, a defining feature of our conversations has been the integrated way in which information is shared and elders’ reticence to distinguish between human impacts on the environment and the “natural” effects of climate change.

The Costs of Local Food Procurement in Two Northern Indigenous Communities in Canada

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinjini Pal ◽  
François Haman ◽  
Michael A. Robidoux
Keyword(s):  
Local Food ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Food Procurement
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