NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area

Tags: social sciences, food security

Objective(s): To support food security in terms of country food, market food and locally-produced food, recognizing the impact of climate change.

Project Description: Building on the long-standing research collaboration, the research team will: 1) work with community Research Assistants to conduct a public engagement process in the six Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) communities; 2) identify and prioritize existing and desired community-based initiatives to support food security in terms of country food, market food and locally-produced food, recognizing the impact of climate change; 3) identify gaps in the current food system; 4) determine mechanisms for addressing food system gaps, including roles and responsibilities of involved actors; 5) analyze, synthesize and verify community-based information with ISR stakeholders and fill remaining gaps in knowledge; 6) contribute to drafting an adaptive regional Food Security Strategy and Action Plan to support for food security and country food harvest over the long term, in the context of a changing climate; and, 7) document and share best practices across and beyond the ISR. Building on the combined understanding of food security dynamics on-the-ground and of the ISR food security governance context, next steps include engagement at the local level with each of the six communities to clearly understand their priorities and assess how these fit within a regional-scale approach. As such, the research team have designed an ISR community engagement process that includes focus groups and interviews in all six ISR communities to identify community assets, gaps, priorities, and relevant actors and resources to address food security. Audio-recordings and notes from the focus groups and interviews will be transcribed, coded and analyzed to identify key themes. Subsequently, information from the engagement will be synthesized and verified with ISR participants, and remaining gaps will be identified and addressed. The team are developing a framework to scale-up results and align local and regional goals. The research team are working with community Research Assistants in each of the 5 remote ISR communities to help plan and implement research activities, and provide input and feedback throughout the research process. They are also helping to communicate information to their communities and maintain local engagement in the project. The research team are also exploring the possibility of an Aurora College student to help with data analysis, and for ways to involve youth. Reports will be written and presented to the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and to ISR community organizations at each stage of the research project. Results will be presented back to each community through a combination of public meetings, research reports, posters and PowerPoint documents. The research team will also work with the identified community Research Assistant who can help to share results using local communication mechanisms (e.g. community Facebook group, radio, bulletin boards). Other methods may also be used (e.g. video conferencing, poster presentations, etc.). Copies of all academic outputs (e.g., technical reports/theses, academic papers) will be shared with Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and community contacts. After community verification, results will also be presented at academic conferences and may be used for teaching in local ISR schools. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from May 4, 2018 to December 31, 2018.