Searching for Progress on Food Security in the North American North: A Research Synthesis and Meta-Analysis of the Peer-Reviewed Literature + Supplementary Appendix (See Article Tools)

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Food security is a global societal challenge, and one geographic region where food insecurity is increasing is the North American Arctic and Subarctic. In this paper we synthesize research on food security in this region; important precursors and early work include reports on the impacts of land claims, the cumulative effects of industrial development and environmental change, and the health impacts of the nutrition transition among Indigenous peoples. Building on these foundations, food security research in the North has followed a path similar to that taken in the global food security literature, beginning with nutritional adequacy and security of food supplies and then downscaling to a focus on issues at the livelihood and household level. Our meta-analysis of the peer-reviewed literature reveals many reasons why people are food-insecure: challenges such as remoteness, climate change, and the high costs of food and fuel all play important roles. However, the primary drivers of food insecurity that we identify in this review relate to governance and policy challenges that have been recognized and critiqued for decades. Recommendations for future research include an improved focus on participatory research and food security interventions that acknowledge and focus on supporting the rights of local peoples to pursue food security on their own terms. This paper is relevant in the context of climatic and environmental change because it captures the role of shifting political ecologies as increased geopolitical interests in the North appear to be obscuring the rights and needs of local peoples to access and control their own land and resources.Key words: Alaska Natives; Canada First Nations; climate change; development; food security; food sovereignty; governance; Indigenous peoples; social justice RÉSUMÉ. De par le monde, l'insécurité alimentaire constitue un enjeu du point de vue de la société. L'Arctique et la région subarctique de l'Amérique du Nord sont des régions géographiques où l'insécurité alimentaire prend de l'ampleur. Dans cette communication, nous faisons la synthèse des travaux de recherche effectués au sujet de la sécurité alimentaire dans cette région. Parmi les précurseurs et les premiers travaux importants réalisés à ce sujet, notons des rapports sur les incidences des revendications territoriales, les effets cumulatifs du développement industriel et des changements sur l'environnement, de même que les effets sur la santé découlant de la transition alimentaire chez les peuples indigènes. S'appuyant sur ces assises, les recherches sur la sécurité alimentaire dans le Nord ont été conçues ni plus ni moins comme les autres études en matière de sécurité alimentaire dans le monde. Les recherches ont d'abord porté sur le caractère adéquat de l'alimentation et sur la sécurité des approvisionnements alimentaires, après quoi elles se sont concentrées sur des enjeux plus spécifiques comme ceux propres aux moyens de subsistance et aux ménages. Notre méta-analyse de la documentation révisée par des ...

A scoping review of traditional food security in Alaska

“…Although a broad range of research has been conducted on climate change in Alaska and potential contaminants in the traditional food supply, very few of the studies came up on the database search and because there typically was no direct focus on food security, they fell outside the scope of this review. Additional research about traditional food security in the Circumpolar North could help provide further insights since the diverse region has similarities in its extreme climate, limited infrastructure and indigenous populations, though comparative research to date is rare [17]. For example, there seem to be many factors in the Circumpolar North that are impacting traditional food availability and access, such as differing species or hunting locations, changing animal migration patterns [56] and regulations on wildlife management [57].…”

“…Traditional foodways are also an important way that many place-based cultures have forged reciprocal, mutually beneficial relationships with their local land and seascapes [11,16]. Thus, the concept of traditional food security may be an effective bridging concept between traditional food security research, which often focuses largely on assessment and intervention [17], and emerging community development discourses on food sovereignty, which starts explicitly from the problematisation of the power relationships inherent in contemporary food systems [11]. …”

“…Synthesis of primary research evidence about traditional food security is needed to better determine what is already known about food insecurity, who is at risk for food insecurity, why they are at risk and for developing strategies and interventions to improve food security [17]. Thus, the objectives of this scoping review were to (1) review primary research to better understand what is known about food security in Alaska; (2) evaluate what is known about the causes and consequences of traditional food insecurity in Alaska, operationalised as paying-specific attention to how the three pillars of food security apply to traditional foods and (3) discuss research gaps and future research needed in the field.…”

Kelp-Fed Beef, Swimming Caribou, Feral Reindeer, and Their Hunters: Island Mammals in a Marine Economy

“…Food security is a critical area of investigation in the arctic where climate change and socioeconomic pressures are affecting rural people's ability to obtain traditional, locally available, wild foods as well as store-bought options [23,24]. Food security in remote locations varying in accessibility must be at least partly place-based in which the food is produced near to where it is consumed to improve health, connect people to the land, and offset the challenges of transporting food.…”

Fisheries, food, and health in the USA: the importance of aligning fisheries and health policies

“…Importantly, fish oil supplements are not always associated with the same health benefits as eating a meal of a whole seafood product [3,26]. In addition to nutrition, there are psychological, psychosocial, cultural, health, and food security benefits of consuming locally produced seafood [27][28][29]. Some of the health benefits of seafood are offset by food safety risks, such as naturally occurring biotoxins, metals, microbiological agents, other pollutants, and allergens present in some seafood.…”