Grant: Cat. Grant: CBR in Climate Change Priority Area- Food Security in Northern Comm.

Understanding climate change impacts in Canada's Arctic is critical since livelihoods and food systems are tightly linked to the health of the environment and the land, as are the health of community members and the long-term sustainability of communities in the North. In the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR; western-most Inuit land claim region) where a lack of fresh and affordable food fuels alarming rates of food insecurity, climate change further stresses an already stressed system. Communities and governments at all levels need to respond and adapt. Over the past 6+ years, our research team and ISR community and regional partners have worked together on several projects related to food systems and food security across the six Inuvialuit communities. Our collaborative, community-based projects are complementary and address both country food and market food, and linkages between food systems and health in the context of a changing climate. There are many lessons to be learned and shared across ISR communities in ways that are helpful for decision-making. This proposed project aims to collaboratively share findings from our food security projects, support food sovereignty action in the ISR, and plan for future food and climate change research that addresses ISR priorities. Two key team members employed by the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation will play lead roles in implementing this project. We will synthesize existing knowledge about food security/food sovereignty initiatives, and host a workshop with ISR decision-makers, local knowledge holders, community food and health champions, and researchers interested in food-health-climate dynamics. These knowledge mobilization activities will build on collaborative work done to date, foster a holistic understanding of food system challenges in the ISR, contribute to ongoing policy development processes, and catalyze future research, ensuring that it is aligned with local and regional priorities going forward.