Community food program use in Inuvik, Northwest Territories (original) (raw)
Related papers
Canadian Food Studies, 2018
Food insecurity among Indigenous Peoples of northern Canada is a significant public health issue that is exacerbated by changing social and environmental conditions. While a patchwork of programs, strategies and polices exist, the extent to which they address all "pillars" of food security (food availability, access, quality, and utilization) remains under-assessed. We respond to this gap by providing a framework for synthesizing and assessing information about food security initiatives, using a case study of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR), the westernmost Inuit region of Canada. Our objectives are: (1) to identify existing initiatives in the ISR; (2) to assess the breadth and diversity of these initiatives in addressing the four key food security "pillars"; and (3) to present an analytical framework that will facilitate ongoing data updating and sharing in the ISR and elsewhere. Through a scoping review and direct consultation with 12 key informants, we identified 30 initiatives that support food security in the ISR. These are funded and implemented at a range of national, territorial, regional, and local levels, and include both governmental and non-governmental programs, strategic frameworks, and research and monitoring initiatives. Seven key themes emerged from the cross-scale analysis of these initiatives, including: orientation with respect to food security pillars, scope and scale, demographic targeting, funding, monitoring and evaluation, and implications for food security
BMC Public Health, 2013
Background: Food insecurity is a serious public health issue for Aboriginal people (First Nations [FN], Métis, and Inuit) living in Canada. Food security challenges faced by FN people are unique, especially for those living in remote and isolated communities. Conceptualizations of food insecurity by FN people are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of food insecurity by FN adults living in a remote, on-reserve community in northern Ontario known to have a high prevalence of moderate to severe food insecurity.
This article examines the cultural context of food insecurity among Inuit in Ulukhaktok, NT, Canada. An analysis of the social network of country food exchanges between 122 households in the settlement reveals that a household’s betweenness centrality – a measure of brokerage – in the country food network is predicted by the age of the household. The households of married couples were better positioned within the sharing network than the households of single females or single males. Households with an active hunter or elder were also better positioned in the network. The households of single men and women appear to experience limited access to country food, a considerable problem given the increasing number of single adult households over time. We conclude that the differences between how single women and single men experience constrained access to country foods may partially account for previous findings that single women in arctic settlements appear to be at particular risk for food insecurity.
International Journal of Consumer Studies, 2011
In a context where food assistance continues to dominate talks on food security, this study was undertaken to refocus the debate on households' needs. Our objective was to examine the food security experience and needs of food-insecure households from the standpoint of those participating in community programmes for food security as well as those not doing so. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 55 food-insecure households in Quebec City, Canada. Transcriptions were subjected to content analysis. The results revealed distinct food insecurity situations. The interviewees' accounts show that households participating in community food security programmes and nonparticipating households did not have the same profile of food insecurity risks and capacity to cope with those risks. Nevertheless, three main categories of needs emerged from all the households: needs specific to food security (particularly good quality diet), needs regarding the conditions necessary for achieving food security (especially financial access to food) and related needs. Food insecurity was seen as involving a cluster of problems. The results reinforce the necessity for responses that are not uniform but rather situation-specific. Clearly, households are demanding more than food for survival: they need a set of conditions that will ensure them regular and sustainable access to a good quality diet.
Public Health Nutrition, 2014
ObjectiveTo measure and describe the prevalence and severity of household food insecurity in a remote on-reserve First Nations community using the Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) and to evaluate the perceived relevance of the HFSSM for this population.DesignHousehold food security status was determined from the eighteen-item HFSSM following the classifications developed by Health Canada for the Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 2·2 Nutrition. One adult from each household in the community was invited to complete the HFSSM and to comment on its relevance as a tool to measure food security for First Nations communities.SettingSub-Arctic Ontario, Canada.SubjectsHouseholds (n 64).ResultsSeventy per cent of households were food insecure, 17 % severely and 53 % moderately. The prevalence of food insecurity in households with children was 76 %. Among respondents from homes rated as having severe food insecurity, all (100 %) reported worrying that food would run out, tim...
“Moving from understanding to action on food security in Inuit Nunangat”
Canadian food studies, 2023
This Commentary details key challenges and opportunities relating to the promotion of food security in Inuit Nunangat, discussed as part of the event "Moving from understanding to action on food security in Inuit Nunangat", convened at the ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting on 5 th December 2022 in Toronto. The purpose of the event was to explore opportunities for action on food security in northern communities, and to mobilize knowledge on current and future food security programming. A range of stakeholders from across Inuit Nunangat and Canada were involved, including representatives from Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Nutrition North Canada, territorial, regional, and community food security coordinators and government delegates, academics, and community members. Points of discussion across the day included the integration of culturally appropriate country foods into food programming; the importance of human and financial resources to program success; interactions between COVID-19, climate change, and food security; challenges relating to the classification of "households" in food security surveys; and the crucial importance of school food programs for reducing food and income stress on families.
Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique, 2021
To describe the prevalence of food insecurity in First Nations households across Canada while identifying barriers and enablers to traditional food (TF) consumption. The First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study is a cross-Canada participatory study of on-reserve First Nations from 2008 to 2018. The Household Food Security Survey Module was used to capture income-related challenges experienced by First Nations households. Households were classified as food secure, or marginally, moderately, or severely food insecure. Barriers and enablers to TF access and use were identified describing the Indigenous experience. Almost half of on-reserve First Nations households were food insecure and the prevalence was higher than that for non-Indigenous households in Canada. On-reserve food insecurity prevalence was higher in western regions of Canada. First Nations households with children experienced greater food insecurity than those without children. More adults experienced severe fo...
Tackling food security issues in indigenous communities in Canada: The Manitoba experience
2012
Aims: The promotion of healthy living and chronic disease prevention are predicated on the ability of individuals and communities to make healthy choices. Having access to nutritious affordable food is one of the conditions required to make such choices possible but one that is too often not available, especially to families in remote regions of Canada. The present paper reviews food security issues as they pertain to indigenous communities, particularly in northern Manitoba, and describes community and government approaches to tackling food insecurity. Method: A narrative review was formed drawing on international literature and Canadian research and practice. Results: Strategies such as those described above have the potential to significantly enhance access to affordable, nutritious food in Northern Communities thereby improving food security, healthy living and preventing chronic disease. Conclusions: Community-based action combined with structural changes and a supportive policy environment hold out the prospect of changing the conditions of food access that underlie the ultimate success of healthy living and chronic disease prevention efforts. While there appears to be a growing interest in local food production and the reintroduction of traditional foods to the diet, an important key to successful change is the engagement of youth, whose food habits and preferences have been heavily influenced by mainstream commercial food culture.
This article explores food-related activities and their impacts on sustainable livelihood assets, food sovereignty, and food security, and provides insight for future food-related community development. Analysis is based on community food assessments conducted in 14 Northern Manitoba communities and included a food security survey, price survey, and interviews. The lack of community control over development in First Nation and other Northern remote and rural communities in Northern Manitoba is found to undermine both food sovereignty and sustainable livelihoods, while creating high levels of food insecurity. According to logit models, sharing country foods increases food sovereignty and sustainable livelihoods, and has a stronger relationship to food security than either road access to retail stores in urban centres or increased competition between stores. The model predicts that rates of food insecurity for a community with a country foods program and with access to public transit ...