INDIGENOUS FOOD INSECURITY IN NORTHERN … · 2020. 9. 25. · Covers almost two-thirds of Alberta...

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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

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

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    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

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    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.

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    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

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    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

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    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.

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    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.

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    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).