Agroecology in the North: Centering Indigenous food sovereignty and land stewardship in agriculture “frontiers”

Abstract

Warming temperatures in the circumpolar north have led to new discussions around climate-driven frontiers for agriculture. In this paper, we situate northern food systems in Canada within the corporate food regime and settler colonialism, and contend that an expansion of the conventional, industrial agriculture paradigm into the Canadian North would have significant socio-cultural and ecological consequences. We propose agroecology as an alternative framework uniquely accordant with northern contexts. In particular, we suggest that there are elements of agroecology that are already being practiced in northern Indigenous communities as part of traditional hunter-gatherer food systems. We present a framework for agroecology in the North and discuss its components of environmental stewardship, economies, knowledge, social dimensions and governance using examples from the Dehcho region, Northwest Territories, Canada. Finally, we discuss several challenges and cautions in creating policy around agroecology in the North and encourage community-based research in developing and testing this framework moving forward.

Seeing Green: Lifecycles of an Arctic Agricultural Frontier☆

“…Whereas mid‐twentieth‐century administrators tended to portray agriculture as fundamental to food security in Indigenous communities (Cooper ca 19741948; Wilson 1976)—reflecting deeply held colonial beliefs around the reliability of foodstuffs and what was considered a safe and secure diet (Piper 2017:211)—in more recent policy documents and scientific literature, agriculture is described as supportive of Indigenous food security while maintaining that the traditional food system plays key cultural, nutritional, and social roles in Indigenous communities (GNWT 2015a, 2021; Price et al 2022; Spring et al 2019; Wilson et al 2020).…”

“…Much of the recent literature on northern agriculture is written by climate scientists, agronomists, and soil scientists, and scholars often employ the concept of the northern agricultural frontier without critical interrogation of its cultural, racial, economic, and material legacies, with a few recent exceptions (cf. Bradley and Stein 2022; Meyfroidt 2021; Price et al 2022). Critical social scientists, however, have utilized the concept of frontiers to invoke literal and figurative borderlands, distant places, liminal spaces, and zones of possibility.…”

“…Agriculture is predicted to increasingly expand into rural northern regions as climate change improves crop suitability and as Arctic states initiate new policies and programs to intensify and expand agricultural production (Unc et al 2021). Despite what climate models suggest, however, infrastructural barriers, isolated markets, insecure land tenure regimes, and natural limits continue to occlude Arctic commodity frontiers in North America (Bradley and Stein 2022; Price et al 2022; Stevenson et al 2014). In their analysis of agriculture in Alaska, Bradley and Stein (2022:3) conclude that “an Arctic frontier of large‐scale capitalist agribusiness is unlikely to materialize as presently imagined,” though they acknowledge that with state support, technological break‐throughs, and private investment, this future remains possible.…”

“…For Ka'a'gee First Nation and Sambaa K'e First Nation, partnering with university researchers through participatory action research has enabled funding, human resource capacity, and technical assistance for community agriculture projects while avoiding the funding stipulations and reporting burden that comes with government programs. Whereas midtwentieth-century administrators tended to portray agriculture as fundamental to food security in Indigenous communities (Cooper ca.1974;Department of Mines and Resources 1948;Wilson 1976)-reflecting deeply held colonial beliefs around the reliability of foodstuffs and what was considered a safe and secure diet (Piper 2017:211)-in more recent policy documents and scientific literature, agriculture is described as supportive of Indigenous food security while maintaining that the traditional food system plays key cultural, nutritional, and social roles in Indigenous communities (GNWT 2015a(GNWT , 2021Price et al 2022;Spring et al 2019;Wilson et al 2020).…”

Greater Attention to Wild Foods and Cultural Knowledge Supports Increased Nutrition Outcomes Associated with Agroecology

“…For many communities, managing, harvesting, and consuming wild foods are acts that help maintain and restore connections to land, place, and culture [36][37][38]. Ultimately, many of these communities are employing agroecological principles in their cultivation and consumption of wild foods, and agroecology can even offer a framework that can align and support their existing practices and values [39]. We build on this idea to explore the potential greater attention to wild foods in agroecology holds to improve nutrition and other outcomes.…”