INDIGENOUS FOOD INSECURITY IN NORTHERN … · 2020. 9. 25. · Covers almost two-thirds of Alberta...
Transcript of INDIGENOUS FOOD INSECURITY IN NORTHERN … · 2020. 9. 25. · Covers almost two-thirds of Alberta...
-
INDIGENOUS FOOD INSECURITY IN NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN: ACCESSIBILITY, AVAILABILITY, AFFORDABILITY Policy North (North West Saskatchewan Policy Unit)
Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy
University of Saskatchewan
Kirk Hall Building, 117 Science Place
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5C8
Canada
December 2018
Photo by: Марьян Блан on Unspash
https://srv.buysellads.com/ads/click/x/GTND42QYCAYD6K7JCWB4YKQMFTSIVKJNCT7IVZ3JCWAD523UCESI45QKC6BIE27ECEAI6K3EHJNCLSIZhttps://srv.buysellads.com/ads/click/x/GTND42QYCAYD6K7JCWB4YKQMFTSIVKJNCT7IVZ3JCWAD523UCESI45QKC6BIE27ECEAI6K3EHJNCLSIZ
-
POLICY NORTH (NORTH WEST SASKATCHEWAN (POLICY UNIT)
www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca | i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3
2. The first nations food, nutrition and environmental study (fnfnes) ................................................ 3
3. The three as: accessibility, availability, affordability ....................................................................... 3
4. Moving forward: increasing local capacity ...................................................................................... 4
5. Helpful sources ................................................................................................................................ 5
5.1 Websites .................................................................................................................................... 5
6. References ....................................................................................................................................... 6
Appendix A: Terrestrial ecozones of canada ............................................................................................. 7
Appendix B: household food insecurity ..................................................................................................... 8
Appendix C: food costs in southern and northern saskatchewan ............................................................. 9
-
POLICY NORTH (NORTH WEST SASKATCHEWAN (POLICY UNIT)
www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca | 3
1. INTRODUCTION
Food insecurity exists when people lack the
physical and economic access to sufficient, safe
and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs
and food preferences for an active and healthy
life (Dietitians of Canada, 2018). Food insecurity
can leave an indelible mark on a person’s well-
being. In children, it is associated with
conditions such as hyperactivity, low birth
weight, asthma, and depression. Adults living in
food insecure households report poorer
physical health and are more vulnerable to a
wide range of conditions such as diabetes, heart
disease, hypertension, mood disorders, and
arthritis (Proof, 2018). While Indigenous food
insecurity exists across Canada, the present
brief focuses on food insecurity in northern and
remote Indigenous communities in
Saskatchewan.
2. THE FIRST NATIONS FOOD, NUTRITION
AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY
(FNFNES)
In 2015, the University of Ottawa and Assembly
of First Nations released the Saskatchewan
findings from the First Nations Food, Nutrition
and Environmental Study (FNFNES). The
signature study is a ten-year project mandated
by the Chiefs-in-Assembly and developed in
partnership with First Nations and academia.
The study involves five components including
food security, and was conducted in 14 on-
reserve First Nations communities located in
four ecozones in Saskatchewan: Taiga Shield,
Boreal Shield, Boreal Plains and the Prairies
(Appendix A).11 A total of 1,042 adults were
1 Five components: (1) household interviews to collect information on dietary patterns, lifestyle, and food security;(2) drinking water sampling for trace metals; (3) hair sampling for exposure to mercury; (4) surface water sampling for pharmaceuticals, and; (5) traditional food
randomly sampled from the communities.
There appeared to be no difference in the level
of food insecurity when stratified by ecozone.
Across Saskatchewan, regardless of ecological
area, 28% of respondent Indigenous households
were moderately food insecure and 10% were
severely insecure (Appendix B, Figure 1).
However, across Saskatchewan, when stratified
by income level, First Nations adults on social
assistance report the highest level of food
insecurity (36% moderately and 16% severely;
Appendix B, Figure 2).2 Across the four
ecological areas in Saskatchewan, First Nations
adult respondents who are wage earners report
the lowest levels of food insecurity (20%
moderately and 5% severely). While 44% of
participants were relying on wages and salaries
as their main source of income, obviously
simply having a job is not enough; low-waged
jobs and precarious work means people in the
workforce often do not have enough income to
be food-secure (Proof, 2018).
3. THE THREE AS: ACCESSIBILITY,
AVAILABILITY, AFFORDABILITY
While a number of factors contribute to food
insecurity, for simplicity’s sake, there are “3 As”
as they relate to northern Saskatchewan:
Accessibility, availability, and affordability. Food
has always cost more in northern regions of the
province, due to the expense of shipping food in
from others parts of the province, the region’s
relatively small and dispersed population, and
the distance from major transportation hubs
(FNFNES, 2015). Although the Federal
Government subsidizes the stocking and/or
shipping of perishable food items in northern
communities, many Indigenous communities
sampling for chemical contaminant content. Ecozones share a common evolutionary biography. Each ecosystem is associated with characteristic combinations of soil, landforms, and the associated plant and animal characteristics.
-
Indigenous Food Insecurity in Northern Saskatchewan
are not satisfied with the subsidies for a
number of reasons: Retailers can have arbitrary
control on how they set prices, market food
prices can still be very high, officials from
outside a community often decide what food
products will be subsidized, and food products
are often stale-dated and supply unreliable
(Weber, 2016).
High food costs are a particular burden for low-
income families. A family’s weekly food basket
in northern communities is usually more
expensive mainly because of the high cost of
shipping (Proof, 2018). In northern
Saskatchewan, in 2015, the average weekly
food cost for a family of four was nearly $315
per week compared to a southern average of
nearly $229 per week (Appendix C). Since 50%
of First Nations children in Saskatchewan live in
low-income households (The national average is
17%), northern families with low incomes will
find it particularly difficult to put healthy food
on the table, after paying for necessary
expenses such as housing, utilities,
transportation, and clothing (Baxter, 2017).
2 In north-central Saskatchewan (Boreal plains)
36% of First Nations adult respondents were on
social assistance. In northern Saskatchewan
(Boreal Shield) 43% of adult respondents were
on social assistance (Provincially, 38% of First
Nations respondents report being on social
assistance).
4. MOVING FORWARD: INCREASING
LOCAL CAPACITY
There are many factors that influence food
insecurity in northern Saskatchewan, factors
that involve accessibility, availability, and
affordability. Indigenous food security can be
influenced by high transportation costs, the loss
of traditional hunting practices, and declining
access to the land and hunting territories
(Abraham, Chambers, Fiddler, Sochar & Zahaf,
2002).
The high cost of food is a serious issue for low-
income families. Northern communities are
working to improve food security through local
initiatives designed to address both short-term
relief (e.g., food banks, school feeding
programs) as well as community capacity
building (e.g., private gardens, greenhouses)
and encouraging the traditional food system
(e.g., harvesting techniques, culture camps,
food preservation). Indigenous food sovereignty
has gained public interest as Indigenous people
reinforce their traditional lifestyles as well as
land rights and title. In brief, Indigenous
communities have the right to preserve and
practice their cultural traditions surrounding
production of food. The goals involve promoting
the traditions of Indigenous people while
limiting the environmental effects of resource
projects (e.g., dams, oil pipelines, forestry) and
government legislation that reduces access to
the land and hunting territories and/or that
limits the right of Indigenous peoples to
traditional lands and waters (Martens, Cidro &
Hart, 2016; McIntye, Lukic, Patterson, Anderson
& Mah, 2016).
Moving forward, the food sovereignty
movement argues that potential solutions must
continue to recognize the contemporary and
historical causes of Indigenous food insecurity
and address issues of encouraging traditional
methods of food gathering, as well as
governance and resource management.
Although the issue of food insecurity in
northern regions of Saskatchewan (and Canada)
is not new, Indigenous food security and
sovereignty issues have gained traction
alongside efforts to improve the standard of
living for all Indigenous people regardless of
where they live.
-
POLICY NORTH (NORTH WEST SASKATCHEWAN (POLICY UNIT)
www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca | 5
5. HELPFUL SOURCES
Council of Canadian Academics. (2014).
Aboriginal Food Security in Northern Canada.
An Assessment of the State of Knowledge.
Expert Panel on the State of Knowledge of Food
Security in Northern Canada. Available from:
https://foodsecurecanada.org/sites/foodsecure
canada.org/files/foodsecurity_fullreporten.pdf
Martens, T., Cidro, J., Hart, A.M., & McLachlan,
S. (2016). Understanding Indigenous Food
Sovereignty Through an Indigenous Research
Paradigm. Available from:
https://umanitoba.ca/faculties/social_work/me
dia/V5i1-02martens_cidro_hart_mclachlan.pdf
Population Health Unit. Northern
Saskatchewan. (2014). Social Determinants of
Health: Living and Working Conditions.
Available from:
https://populationhealthunit.ca/mrws/filedriver
/Health_Indicator_reports/Social_Determinants
_of_Health_-_Living_and_Working.pdf
University of Ottawa. (2015). First Nations Food,
Nutrition and Environmental Study. Results
from Saskatchewan 2015. Available from:
http://www.fnfnes.ca/docs/Saskatchewan_Rep
ort_Aug_8_2018.pdf
5.1 Websites
Bird, M. (2018). Food Insecurity in Northern
Canada. Available from:
https://www.thegrowcer.ca/blog/food-
insecurity-in-northern-canada
Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and
Environment. (2018). Northern Canada
Aboriginal Food Security. Available from:
https://www.mcgill.ca/cine/
Proof. Food Insecurity Policy Research. (2018).
Household Food Insecurity in Canada. Available
from: https://proof.utoronto.ca/food-
insecurity/
Gendron, F., Hancherow, A., & Norton, A.
(2016). Exploring and Revitalizing Indigenous
Food Networks in Saskatchewan, Canada, as a
Way to Improve Food Security. Available from:
https://academic.oup.com/heapro/article/32/5
/808/2951018
https://foodsecurecanada.org/sites/foodsecurecanada.org/files/foodsecurity_fullreporten.pdfhttps://foodsecurecanada.org/sites/foodsecurecanada.org/files/foodsecurity_fullreporten.pdfhttps://umanitoba.ca/faculties/social_work/media/V5i1-02martens_cidro_hart_mclachlan.pdfhttps://umanitoba.ca/faculties/social_work/media/V5i1-02martens_cidro_hart_mclachlan.pdfhttps://populationhealthunit.ca/mrws/filedriver/Health_Indicator_reports/Social_Determinants_of_Health_-_Living_and_Working.pdfhttps://populationhealthunit.ca/mrws/filedriver/Health_Indicator_reports/Social_Determinants_of_Health_-_Living_and_Working.pdfhttps://populationhealthunit.ca/mrws/filedriver/Health_Indicator_reports/Social_Determinants_of_Health_-_Living_and_Working.pdfhttp://www.fnfnes.ca/docs/Saskatchewan_Report_Aug_8_2018.pdfhttp://www.fnfnes.ca/docs/Saskatchewan_Report_Aug_8_2018.pdfhttps://www.thegrowcer.ca/blog/food-insecurity-in-northern-canadahttps://www.thegrowcer.ca/blog/food-insecurity-in-northern-canadahttps://www.mcgill.ca/cine/https://proof.utoronto.ca/food-insecurity/https://proof.utoronto.ca/food-insecurity/https://academic.oup.com/heapro/article/32/5/808/2951018https://academic.oup.com/heapro/article/32/5/808/2951018
-
Indigenous Food Insecurity in Northern Saskatchewan
6. REFERENCES
Abraham, R., Chambers, L., Fiddler, T., Socha, T.,
& Zahef, M. (2002). Food insecurity in a
northern First Nations community: An
exploratory study on food availability and
accessibility. Journal of Aboriginal Health, 5-14.
Baxter, D. (2017, Nov. 21. CBC News). 24 per
cent of Saskatchewan children live in poverty:
Report. Available from:
https://globalnews.ca/news/3873848/24-per-
cent-of-saskatchewan-children-live-in-poverty-
report/
Dietitians of Canada. (2018). Food insecurity.
Overview. Available from:
https://www.dietitians.ca/Dietitians-
Views/Food-Security/Overview.aspx
Martens, T., Cidro, J., Hart, A.M., & McLachlan,
S. (2016). Understanding Indigenous Food
Sovereignty Through an Indigenous Research
Paradigm. Journal of Indigenous Social
Development, 5(1), 18-37.
McIntye, L., Lukic, R., Patterson, P., Anderson,
L., & Mah, C. (2016). Legislation debated as
responses to household food insecurity in
Canada. Journal of Hunger and Environmental
Nutrition, 11(4), 441-455.
Proof. Food Insecurity and Policy Research.
(2018). Indigenous peoples and food insecurity.
Available from:
https://proof.utoronto.ca/resources/research-
publications/aboriginal-peoples-and-food-
insecurity/
Saskatchewan Food Costing Task Group. (2016).
The cost of healthy eating in Saskatchewan.
Available from: HYPERLINK
http://publications.gov.sk.ca/documents/13/10
8718-
"SK%202015%20The%20Cost%20of%20Healthy
%20Eating%20FINAL%20updated%202017%201
1%2022.pdf
University of Ottawa, University of Montreal
and Assembly of First Nations. (2018). First
Nations food, nutrition and environment study
(FNFNES). Results from Saskatchewan 2015.
Available from:
http://www.fnfnes.ca/docs/Saskatchewan_Rep
ort_Aug_8_2018.pdf
Weber, B. (2016, Dec. 4. The Canadian Press).
Nutrition North failing to keep food healthy and
affordable: Study. Available from:
https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/nutrition-
north-failing-to-keep-food-healthy-and-
affordable-study-1.3188786
https://globalnews.ca/news/3873848/24-per-cent-of-saskatchewan-children-live-in-poverty-report/https://globalnews.ca/news/3873848/24-per-cent-of-saskatchewan-children-live-in-poverty-report/https://globalnews.ca/news/3873848/24-per-cent-of-saskatchewan-children-live-in-poverty-report/https://www.dietitians.ca/Dietitians-Views/Food-Security/Overview.aspxhttps://www.dietitians.ca/Dietitians-Views/Food-Security/Overview.aspxhttps://proof.utoronto.ca/resources/research-publications/aboriginal-peoples-and-food-insecurity/https://proof.utoronto.ca/resources/research-publications/aboriginal-peoples-and-food-insecurity/https://proof.utoronto.ca/resources/research-publications/aboriginal-peoples-and-food-insecurity/http://publications.gov.sk.ca/documents/13/108718-%22SK%202015%20The%20Cost%20of%20Healthy%20Eating%20FINAL%20updated%202017%2011%2022.pdfhttp://publications.gov.sk.ca/documents/13/108718-%22SK%202015%20The%20Cost%20of%20Healthy%20Eating%20FINAL%20updated%202017%2011%2022.pdfhttp://publications.gov.sk.ca/documents/13/108718-%22SK%202015%20The%20Cost%20of%20Healthy%20Eating%20FINAL%20updated%202017%2011%2022.pdfhttp://publications.gov.sk.ca/documents/13/108718-%22SK%202015%20The%20Cost%20of%20Healthy%20Eating%20FINAL%20updated%202017%2011%2022.pdfhttp://publications.gov.sk.ca/documents/13/108718-%22SK%202015%20The%20Cost%20of%20Healthy%20Eating%20FINAL%20updated%202017%2011%2022.pdfhttp://www.fnfnes.ca/docs/Saskatchewan_Report_Aug_8_2018.pdfhttp://www.fnfnes.ca/docs/Saskatchewan_Report_Aug_8_2018.pdfhttps://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/nutrition-north-failing-to-keep-food-healthy-and-affordable-study-1.3188786https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/nutrition-north-failing-to-keep-food-healthy-and-affordable-study-1.3188786https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/nutrition-north-failing-to-keep-food-healthy-and-affordable-study-1.3188786
-
POLICY NORTH (NORTH WEST SASKATCHEWAN (POLICY UNIT)
www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca | 7
APPENDIX A: TERRESTRIAL ECOZONES OF CANADA
Table 1. Description of the Four Ecozones within Saskatchewan
Taiga Shield
Stretches across much of the Northwest Territories and dips down into Saskatchewan, north western Manitoba and across to northern Quebec and Southern Nunavut. The land consists of rolling hills and flat lands covered in lakes, wetlands and small conifers that mark the northern edge of the boreal forest.
Boreal Shield
The largest ecozone in Canada, stretching from northeastern Alberta to Newfoundland. It is a plain of bedrock covered in boreal forest, millions of lakes, ponds and wetlands.
Boreal Plains
Covers almost two-thirds of Alberta and stretches into Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Most of the surface waters are part of three watersheds: the Saskatchewan River, Beaver River, and Peace, Athabasca, and Slave rivers’ watershed.
Prairies
The northern boundary of this ecozone spans southern areas of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The ecozone consists of flat and rolling plains and foothills covered by mixed grassland.
-
Indigenous Food Insecurity in Northern Saskatchewan
APPENDIX B: HOUSEHOLD FOOD INSECURITY
Figure 1. Household Food Insecurity in First Nations Communities in Saskatchewan by Ecozone and
Region.
Figure 2. Income-Related Household Food Insecurity in First Nations Communities in Saskatchewan by
Income Sources.
-
POLICY NORTH (NORTH WEST SASKATCHEWAN (POLICY UNIT)
www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca | 9
APPENDIX C: FOOD COSTS IN SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN
Figure 3. Weekly Food Cost in Southern and Northern Saskatchewan, 2015
Source: Saskatchewan Food Costing Task Group (2016).