inuit food security: vulnerability of the traditional food system to climatic extremes during winter...
DESCRIPTION
Presentation by Sara Statham to IPY 2012 conference in Montreal, April 23, 2012.TRANSCRIPT
Inuit&Food&Security:&Vulnerability&of&the&traditional&food&system&to&climatic&extremes&during&winter&2010/2011&in&Iqaluit,&Nunavut&
Sara&Statham&&&Dr.&James&Ford&McGill&University&–&Montreal,&QC&
International&Polar&Year&April&23,&2012&
• Significant&and&rapid&climate&change&is&predicted&for&Arctic®ions,&and&there&is&evidence&that&it&is&already&occurring.&
• These&changes&have&implications&for&Canadian&Inuit,&many&of&whom&depend&on&hunting&and&fishing&for&their&livelihoods.&
• Varying&environmental&conditions&impact&the&ability&of&Inuit&to&procure&country&food,&thus&impacting&food&security.&
Introduction*
Traditional*Food*Security*
• A&traditional*food*system*involves&all&processes&associated&with&hunting,&harvesting,&preparing,&sharing,&and&consuming&foods&obtained&from&local&natural&resources.&&
• Food*insecurity*occurs&when&this&system&is&stressed&so&that&food&is¬&available,&accessible,&or&of&sufficient&quality.&
Assessing*Food*Security*
• Winter&2010/2011&brought&extreme&environmental&conditions&throughout&the&Canadian&Arctic.&
• The&aim&of&this&project&is&to&determine&whether&these&extreme&environmental&conditions&impacted&the&ability&of&hunters&to&obtain&country&food&and&whether&this&caused&food&insecurity&at&the&community&level.&
Winter*2010/2011:*Warmer&temperatures&
y&=&0.1338x&Y&14.945&R²&=&0.41155&
y&=&0.1256x&Y&7.2654&R²&=&0.40229&
y&=&0.1297x&Y&11.105&R²&=&0.40977&
Y20.0&
Y15.0&
Y10.0&
Y5.0&
0.0&
Tempe
rature*(°C)*
Year*
Iqaluit*Annual*Temperatures**1982F2010**
minimum&
maximum&
average&
Winter*2010/2011:*Later&freezeYup&
y&=&1.7153x&Y&3095.9&R²&=&0.59626&
275&
295&
315&
335&
355&
375&
395&
1980& 1985& 1990& 1995& 2000& 2005& 2010& 2015&
Julia
n*Day
*
Year*
Frobisher*Bay*FreezeFUp*Dates*1982F2010*
January*24*(59*days*later)*
*
Winter*2010/2011:*Earlier&breakYup&
y&=&Y0.7533x&+&1695.2&R²&=&0.38345&
160&
170&
180&
190&
200&
210&
1980& 1990& 2000& 2010&
Julia
n*Day
*
Year*
Frobisher*Bay*BreakFUp*Dates*1982F2011*
June*20*(23*days*earlier)*
*
Winter*2010/2011:*Shorter&sea&ice&season&&&&longer&open&water&season*
0&50&100&150&200&250&300&
1982
&1984
&1986
&1988
&1990
&1992
&1994
&1996
&1998
&20
00&
2002
&20
04&
2006
&20
08&
2010&
Num
ber*o
f*Day
s*
Year*
Annual*Length*of*Stable*Ice*and*Open*Water*at**Frobisher*Bay*1982F2010*
stable&ice&
ice&free&
1) Identify&and&characterize:&a) Locally&relevant&extreme&climatic&conditions&
during&winter&2010/2011&(exposure)&b) Their&subsequent&effects&on&Iqaluit’s&
traditional&food&system&(sensitivity)&c) Coping&strategies&used&for&dealing&with&
stresses&(adaptive/capacity)&
2) Examine&how&the&vulnerability&of&the&traditional&food&system&influences&food&security&among&public&housing&residents&in&Iqaluit.&
3) Identify&what&lessons&can&be&learned&from&winter&2010/2011&in&terms&of&the&future&implications&of&climate&change.&
Objectives*
1) Identify&and&characterize:&a) Locally&relevant&extreme&climatic&conditions&
during&winter&2010/2011&(exposure)&b) Their&subsequent&effects&on&Iqaluit’s&
traditional&food&system&(sensitivity)&c) Coping&strategies&used&for&dealing&with&
stresses&(adaptive/capacity)&
2) Examine&how&the&vulnerability&of&the&traditional&food&system&influences&food&security&among&public&housing&residents&in&Iqaluit.&
3) Identify&what&lessons&can&be&learned&from&winter&2010/2011&in&terms&of&the&future&implications&of&climate&change.&
Objectives*
Study*Design*Rationale*• Winter&2010/2011&
– Predicted&to&be&(and&was)&climatically&anomalous&
• Inuit&– Disproportionate&prevalence&of&food&insecurity&
• Poor&– Particularly&vulnerable&demographic&
• Iqaluit,&Nunavut&– Differs&from&smaller&traditional&Arctic&communities&
Case*Study*Location:*Iqaluit,*Nunavut*
• Largest&community&&&territorial&capital&• Population&of&7,000&(60%&Inuit)&• Dual&economy&
• WageYbased&&&subsistenceYbased&
• Dual&food&system&• Traditional&&&contemporary&
• Very&different&from&smaller,&&traditional&Arctic&communities&
Methods*
MixedYMethod&Approach&
Quantitative&Data&
Sea&Ice&Data&
Environmental&Data&
Hunter&Interviews&
Qualitative&Data&
Household&Surveys&
Key&Informant&Interviews&
Participant&Observation&
Data*Collection:*Instrumental*Data*
Sea&Ice&Data& Environmental!Data!• Canadian&Ice&Service&• Available&from&1982Y2011&• BreakYup&dates&• FreezeYup&dates&&
• Environment&Canada&• Analyzed&from&1982Y2011&• Temperature&• Wind&
Data*Collection:*Interviews*
• What:*&25&semiYstructured&interviews&• Who:*Hunters&living&in&Iqaluit&• How:*Purposive&&&snowball&sampling&strategies*• Themes:**• Individual&characteristics&• Environmental&observations&• Wildlife&observations&• Challenges&and&opportunities&• Adaptive&strategies&• Other&factors&affecting&&their&ability&to&hunt&
Data*Collection:*Interviews*
Data*Collection:*Surveys*• What:*100&household&surveys&• Who:&Community&members&living&in&public&housing&• How:*Random&sampling&strategy&• Themes:*&• Household&characteristics&• Country&food&observations&• Sources&of&food&• Coping&mechanisms&
Data*Collection:*Surveys*
Data*Collection:*Participant*Observation*
Data*Analysis*• Instrumental&data&
– Least&squares®ression&used&to&identify&linear&trends&• Considered&significant&at&the&95%&confidence&level&• Excel&and&STATISTICA&
• Interviews&and&surveys&– Latent&content&analysis&used&to&identify&themes&– Pearson’s&chiYsquared&and&Fisher’s&Exact&tests&used&&
to&identify&relationships&between&variables&• Considered&significant&at&the&95%&confidence&level&• IBM&SPSS&Statistics&19&
What*were*the*locally*relevant*extreme*climatic*conditions?*
Exposure:*Unpredictable&climatic&conditions&
“We’ve&had&bad&years&in&the&past.&&This&was&extreme.&This&was&special.”&
Exposure:*Dangerous&sea&ice&conditions&
“Very&knowledgeable&hunters&have&had&accidents,&and&that&says&a&lot,&to&me.”&
Exposure:*Decent&land&conditions&
“LandYwise,&it’s¬&so&bad.”&
What*was*the*effect*of*these*extreme*conditions*on*the*traditional*food*system?*
Sensitivity:*Reduced&availability/accessibility*“This&year&there&was&barely&any&country&food.&Everyone&is&searching&for&it.”&
Sensitivity:*Reduced&consumption*
60&
40&
20&
0&
20&
40&
60&
Percen
tage
*of*H
ouse
holds*(%)*
Consumption*of*country*food*during*winter*2010/2011*compared*to*previous*years*
Decreased&
Increased&
Seal&Caribou&
Arctic&char&
Sensitivity:*Reduced&quality*“The&quality&is&different.&The&taste&is&different.&The&caribou&are&a&bit&skinny,&and&that&makes&a&big&difference&because&we&eat&it&all&year&round.”&!
What*coping*strategies*were*used*to*deal*with*these*stresses?*
Adaptive*Capacity:*Altered&hunting&behaviour*
“Hunters&have&a&certain°ree&of&resilience;&it’s&very&hard&to&erode&that.”&
Adaptive*Capacity:*Coping&mechanisms*
0&
10&
20&
30&
40&
50&
60&
70&
Substituted&food&
Ate&less& Ate&elsewhere&
Sold&belongings&
Percen
tage
*of*H
ouse
holds*(%)*
Coping*Mechanisms*
Use*of*coping*mechanisms*during*winter2010/2011**compared*to*previous*years*
Winter&2010/2011&
Previous&Years&
Adaptive*Capacity:*Food&programs*
“There's&a&soup&kitchen&in&town&that's&keeping&me&alive.”&!
Adaptive*Capacity:*Food&programs*
0&5&10&15&20&25&30&35&40&45&50&
Food&Bank& Soup&Kitchen& Tukisigiarvik&
Percen
tage
*of*H
ouse
holds*(%)*
Food*Programs*
Use*of*food*programs*during*winter*2010/2011**compared*to*previous*years*
Winter&2010/2011&
Previous&Years&
Adaptive*Capacity:*Sharing&networks&*
“That’s&the&way&I&was&raised.&That’s&the&way&we&are.&When&we&get&country&food,&we&hand&it&out.”&
Adaptive*Capacity:*Commercialization**
“Inuit&buying&country&food&are&whiteYpeopleYwannabes”&!!
What*broader*socioeconomic*factors*impacted*adaptation?*
Barriers:*Low&incomes&&&high&costs*
“Income&support&comes&only&once&a&month.&It’s&never&enough.”&&
“One&week&we&had&no&food.&We&only&had&one&dried&noodle&pack&for&4&people.&We&can’t&live&like&that.”&!
Barriers:*Deteriorating&knowledge&base&
“It’s&a&sacrifice&I&had&to&make.&I&had&to&get&my&education.&It’s¬&a&negative&impact,&but&I’d&rather&be&out&there&[hunting].”&
Barriers:*Strained&sharing&networks&
“When&they&catch&a&caribou,&they&hide&it&now.&Even&relatives.&People&are&greedy&now&because&there&is&less.&Some&people&keep&their&freezer&in&their&bedroom.”&
Barriers:*Social&issues*
“Depression&is&hard.”&&
“My&family&and&I&were&homeless,&but&my&friend&took&us&in&and&paid&for&us&when&our&Income&Support&ran&out.&She&went&into&debt&to&help&me&and&my&family.”&&
“I&went&on&a&weekYlong&bender.&I&spent&all&my&money&so&I&didn’t&buy&food.”&
Barriers:*Climate&change*
“I&don’t&trust&the&ice&anymore.&A&lot&of&the&[hunters]&don’t&trust&it&anymore.&People&are&scared&to&go&[hunting].”&!
Summary*• Vulnerability&&was¬&as&pronounced&as&
anticipated,&yet&food&insecurity&amongst&public&housing&residents&was&still&a&concern.&&
• Socioeconomic&conditions&were&more&pressing&than&environmental&conditions&in&terms&of&impacting&food&security.&
• Overall,&extreme&climatic&conditions&did&exacerbate&the&vulnerability&of&the&traditional&food&system,&but&this&was&primarily&due&to&its&coupling&with&broader&socioeconomic&factors.&
&
Acknowledgements*• Logistics&
• Community&of&Iqaluit&• Nunavut&Research&Institute&&&Nunavut&Arctic&College&• Dr.&James&Ford,&Dr.&George&Wenzel,&Dr.&Lea&BerrangYFord&• Daniel&Kaludjak&&&David&Nakashuk&• Graham&McDowell&&&Peter&Adams&• Dr.&William&Gough&&&Rick&Siewierski&• Climate&Change&Adaptation&Research&Group&• Iqaluit&Housing&Authority&• Hunters&and&Trappers&Association&• Innirvik&Support&Services&Ltd.&
• Funding&• Nasivvik&Centre&for&Inuit&Health&and&Changing&Environments&• Social&Sciences&and&Humanities&Research&Council&• Global&Environmental&and&Climate&Change&Centre&• Northern&Scientific&Training&Program&• ArcticNet&
Thank*you.**[email protected]*www.ccadapt.ca*www.ccadapt.ca/ssdissem**