Grant: Team Grant: Food Security and Climate Change in the Canadian North

Inuit diet was based on harvesting from a range of plant and animal species throughout the year, enabling Inuit to thrive even in seasonal scarcity. Today food insecurity in Nunavut is the highest in Canada at four times the national average. The Aqqiumavvik Society in Arviat, Nunavut addresses community food insecurity by encouraging local harvesting and consumption of abundant, nutrient-rich wild foods. Arviat is a seasonal nesting ground to an overly large population of light geese (Snow and Ross's Geese); an important food resource that is underutilized. Arviarmiut (people of Arviat) want to know if their goose population is safe to consume, and to understand what level of increased community harvest of geese and eggs is sustainable. To address these questions, our project will monitor light goose population, distribution, and health according to community-relevant metrics. Arviat young hunters will be trained to lead the monitoring, supporting Inuit self-determination in research and addressing continuity challenges in federal monitoring programs. We will also investigate community goose consumption preferences and nutritional implications. Community-led monitoring provides the foundation to assess the impacts of climate change on Arctic nesting geese and their habitat over time. The Aqqiumavvik Society has brought together a diverse and dedicated team of community, academic, and government researchers with expertise in Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ; Inuit knowledge and values), community health, epidemiology, Inuit food systems, goose biology, population dynamics, and ecotoxicology. We will investigate the interplay between human and goose population health, climatic change, migratory bird policy, and food security using the Aajiiqatigiingniq Research Methodology to build consensus and seek solutions. Ultimately, this project aims to promote renewed community harvests and consumption of light geese that can contribute to restoring Inuit food sovereignty.