As I headed north of the 60th parallel last month, the vast Arctic landscape stretched before me – beautiful, remote, and increasingly vulnerable. For many northern Indigenous communities, the challenge isn’t just the harsh environment; it’s the growing difficulty of putting food on the table.
Food insecurity affects nearly 75% of Indigenous households in Canada’s northern territories, compared to the national average of 12.7%, according to Statistics Canada’s latest community health survey. These aren’t just numbers – they represent families making impossible choices between heating their homes and feeding their children.
A promising new research partnership based at the University of the Fraser Valley aims to tackle this crisis through an innovative approach combining traditional knowledge with modern technology. The initiative, funded through a $2.5 million grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, brings together food systems experts, climate scientists and Indigenous knowledge keepers.
“We’re not coming north with predetermined solutions,” explains Dr. Michelle Johnson, lead researcher and food systems specialist at UFV. “This project is built on reciprocity – Indigenous communities identify their priorities, and we support with technical resources and research capacity.”
The collaborative approach represents a significant departure from historical research patterns in the North, where communities often felt studied rather than engaged as partners.
During my visit to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Elder Sarah Kuptana showed me the community’s innovative greenhouse project. As we walked through rows of thriving lettuce and tomatoes despite the -25°C temperatures outside, she pointed out how traditional knowledge guided the greenhouse’s design and crop selection.
“Our people have always known how to live with the land,” Kuptana told me, brushing soil from her hands. “But now the land is changing faster than our stories prepared us for. This greenhouse combines our ways with new methods to feed our people.”
The challenges northern communities face are complex and interconnected. Climate change is altering traditional hunting routes and animal migration patterns. The cost of transporting store-bought food to remote communities makes prices prohibitive – a head of cabbage can cost $28 in Nunavut, while a frozen pizza might run $33.
Hunting, fishing and gathering remain essential food sources, but changing ice conditions and unpredictable weather patterns have made these traditional practices more dangerous and less reliable. Meanwhile, younger generations face a growing disconnection from traditional food knowledge.
The UFV research team is working with communities across Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon to develop region-specific solutions. In Arviat, Nunavut, they’re supporting the expansion of community freezer programs that provide hunters with storage space to share traditional foods. In Whitehorse, youth-led cooking workshops are revitalizing interest in preparing traditional foods.
“Food sovereignty means communities determine their own food systems,” says Dr. William Carmack, Indigenous food systems researcher at UFV. “Our role is to help communities access the tools and resources they need to strengthen their food security while respecting cultural practices.”
The project has drawn praise from Indigenous leaders. Grand Chief Rebecca Kudloo of the Kitikmeot Inuit Association called it “a model for respectful research partnerships” during a recent conference in Yellowknife.
Federal Northern Affairs Minister Thomas Dent also expressed support. “Addressing food insecurity in northern communities requires innovative approaches that respect Indigenous knowledge and sovereignty,” Dent said in a statement to Mediawall.news. “Research collaborations like this one are essential to developing sustainable solutions.”
Critics note that research alone won’t solve structural issues like inadequate infrastructure, high transportation costs, and the impacts of climate change. The North Needs Action Coalition has called for immediate policy interventions, including food subsidies and infrastructure investments.
But for communities like Baker Lake, where the research team is helping establish a community-led monitoring system for caribou health, the partnership offers practical tools to address immediate challenges while building longer-term capacity.
As I prepared to leave the North, I joined a community feast in Inuvik where traditional foods – caribou stew, arctic char, and bannock – brought generations together. Elder James Nasogaluak summed up what many told me throughout my journey: “Food isn’t just about filling stomachs. It’s about who we are as people, our connection to the land, and our future.”
The UFV research project, which continues through 2028, may not solve all the challenges northern communities face. But by prioritizing Indigenous leadership and combining traditional wisdom with scientific approaches, it represents a promising step toward ensuring northern Indigenous communities can feed themselves in ways that honor their cultures and traditions.
As climate change accelerates and food systems globally face mounting pressures, the lessons emerging from this northern collaboration may prove valuable not just for Indigenous communities, but for all Canadians wrestling with questions of food security and sustainability.
