NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Dehcho Region

Tags: food security, food sovereignty

Objective(s): 1. To produce community-oriented and academic outcomes as well as practical recommendations to improve the NNC subsidy program; 2. To create a community-defined Food for Everyone Action Plan that provides strategic direction for SKFN to pursue to support the food security and food sovereignty of their members; 3. To add to the literature of community-led, sustainable food security in Indigenous communities by supporting two masters students’ theses, and publications with senior researchers from Dr. Spring’s network; and, 4. To generate a report regarding the challenges of SKFN's store receiving the NNC subsidy will be provided directly to NNC.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 5607. The objectives of this research are: 1. To produce community-oriented and academic outcomes as well as practical recommendations to improve the NNC subsidy program; 2. To create a community-defined Food for Everyone Action Plan that provides strategic direction for SKFN to pursue to support the food security and food sovereignty of their members; 3. To add to the literature of community-led, sustainable food security in Indigenous communities by supporting two masters students’ theses, and publications with senior researchers from Dr. Spring’s network; and, 4. To generate a report regarding the challenges of SKFN's store receiving the NNC subsidy will be provided directly to NNC. In terms of research methodology, this research project will use community-based participatory action research (PAR) to ensure that all research aspects are community-driven and respond to practical, locally-identified concerns through active collaboration of researchers and participants in co-learning. For part one of this research project, the role of the community-owned grocery store in the food security of SKFN members will be examined. Currently, the store does not receive the NNC retail subsidy as they have struggled to meet the administrative requirements. This is where the research will start. What does a small-scale Indigenous-run store need from the subsidy program? How can the process and procedures to receive the subsidy meet the capacity of those managing the store? These questions will be answered by documenting the current challenges the store faces in receiving the subsidy as well as working with NNC employees to tailor the reporting standards to make them more realistic for a small Indigenous-owned business. This will be a test case to help develop a sustainable model that works for other NNC-eligible communities that may have similar circumstances. The researcher also wants to understand what foods community members are buying, and why they are choosing certain foods over others, especially ultra-processed foods. Are choices cost-related, and/or do other intersectional factors related to gender, culture, and employment come into play, such as cooking skills, time restraints due to care-related responsibilities, ease of use when out on the land, etc.? These questions will be answered through semi-structured interviews with community members that discuss food purchasing choices and perceptions of affordability, as well as analyzing anonymized customer receipts, purchase orders, bills of lading, order reports, and long-term inventory reports from the store. This data will help us understand purchasing preferences and long-term trends in food consumption as well as how food purchased from the store relates to cost of living. For part two, the research will explore what food security and food sovereignty means in Sambaa K'e, considering their culture, local realities, and self-determination. In particular: what does Traditional Knowledge and Dene language have to teach us about food security and food sovereignty? And how do the three pillars of SKFN's food system (1. Hunting, fishing and gathering, 2. gardening and agriculture, 3. store-bought foods) support food security/sovereignty in our community? To learn from Traditional Knowledge, we will conduct interviews, especially with Elders, which include the following questions: what does everyone having enough to eat look like when you live in the bush? How do you make sure that everyone has enough to eat? How do the Dene Laws relate to making sure everyone has enough to eat? How has this changed over time? In terms of learning from our Dene language, we will conduct interviews with local language speakers to discuss how to say “food for everyone”, “everyone having enough to eat”, and “making our own decisions about what foods we eat” in Dene Yahtie. We will also discuss the cultural meaning and significance of these words and phrases. To continue to explore food security and food sovereignty, we will conduct focus groups with community members to discuss the following questions: What do you want food security and food sovereignty to look like in your community? How does hunting, fishing, and gathering support food security and food sovereignty? How does the garden support food security and food sovereignty? How does the store support food security and food sovereignty? What foods do you want to eat into the future? What are the barriers to eating the way you want to? What supports do you need to eat more of the things you want in your community? As this is a community-defined and community-led research project, SKFN leaders are fully aware of and helping to coordinate this research. Regular communication with SKFN leaders has already taken place and will continue throughout the research project. Communication with SKFN community members is embedded into the approach of this research by incorporating them into the data collection and analysis process through participatory research activities. Further, plain language information about the study will be available for community members through posters hung in key locations around town, social media posts, and word-of-mouth from the researchers and SKFN leadership. The researchers and SKFN leaders have existing relationships with other communities, organizations, academics, and policy makers across the NWT. These robust networks will provide key channels for communication and knowledge transfer. In addition to traditional academic outputs, the researcher will emphasize plain-language forms of knowledge dissemination including the use of social media, blogs, podcasts and digital storytelling through these networks. Graduate students will be trained in these techniques prior to traveling to communities, and will help share these skills with community members, particularly youth. The research team expects to present the findings of this research at major conferences (co-presenting with community members where possible), and to publish a minimum of 2 academic articles from the research. All research outputs, including scholarly writing, conference presentations and plain language reporting, will be co-written with or receive approval from SKFN leaders. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: January 1 - May 30, 2024