Local food development in the Moose Cree First Nation: taking steps to build local food sustainability

Abstract

ABSTRACT It has been well documented that northern Indigenous communities in Canada have disproportionately high rates of food insecurity which is contributing to chronic health conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Indigenous communities face complex challenges getting regular access to healthy food, whether through traditional food harvesting practices or through imported market food items. In response, many Indigenous communities are seeking ways to develop locally derived solutions that increase local food procurement capacity and rebuild local food systems. The purpose of this paper is to further understand local food initiatives in Moose Cree First Nation, a remote northern community at the base of James Bay, Ontario, Canada. This paper builds on the Indigenous Health Research Group’s focus on understanding and documenting the steps taken in support of building local food capacity, more specifically through a community garden project. With a deepened understanding of the challenges and opportunities the community faces in regaining greater autonomy over their food system, the findings presented here build on community-based participatory action approaches when learning and working with communities in support of local food efforts.