Food Security Webinar

Synopsis

Understanding the challenges to food security in the rapidly changing Arctic and ensuring safe and consistent availability, access, and usage of food resources for indigenous communities is critical for sustaining livelihoods, promoting health and well-being, and helping to preserve cultures, traditional knowledge, and socio-linguistic heritage. Given projected climatic and environmental changes, with expected concomitant development activities and opportunities for increased natural resource exploitation, reliance on community-based monitoring programs to track changes in the distribution and relative abundance of food resources, along with impacts on biodiversity, cultural identity, health, language, livelihoods, and traditional knowledge, will be crucial for safeguarding sustainable communities in the Arctic.

Speakers

Building a Conceptual Framework on How to Assess Food Security From an Alaska Inuit Perspective

Carolina Behe (Traditional Knowledge / Science Advisor, Inuit Circumpolar Council - Alaska)

Abstract

The Inuit have called the Alaska Arctic home for at least the last 10,000 years. Their daily lives, culture, language, food, and overall survival have been shaped by the world around them and, in turn, are an intricate part of that environment. Recent years have seen an increased effort in biodiversity monitoring, climatological and oceanographic data collection from the many stakeholders taking interest in the Arctic. Yet, little is linking this research together or to the human dimension. Meeting the formidable challenges brought on by climate change, a changing environment, and increased industry requires an enhanced understanding of the human dimension and its role in the food web. In this presentation, the Inuit Circumpolar Council-Alaska will provide a description of their project, "Building a Conceptual Framework on How to Assess Food Security From an Alaska Inuit Perspective," and provide a basic review of how food security is generally defined throughout the world and preliminary findings of an Inuit understanding of food (in)security and its drivers. The presentation will also highlight the methodology employed to conduct this project and the importance of utilizing Traditional Knowledge approaches in evaluating and validating the information collected.

Social Science Contributions to Understandings of Food Security in the Bering Strait Region of Alaska

Julie Raymond-Yakoubian (Social Science Program Director, Kawerak, Inc.)

Abstract

This presentation will provide an overview of several of the ongoing and new challenges to food security being experienced by indigenous Bering Strait residents, as well as related research, advocacy and other work being conducted by Kawerak, Inc., the regional non-profit corporation providing services to the Bering Straits communities. The presenter will highlight two ongoing Social Science Program projects: the Community-Based Documentation of Ice Seals and Walrus project involving collaborations between Kawerak, nine tribes, two marine mammal organizations, and a conservation organization; and the Indigenous Knowledge and Use of Ocean Currents project, a collaboration among Kawerak, three tribes, researchers, and communities in Chukotka. The presentation will focus on the methods used to document project data, to develop ongoing community relationships, and the connections between these research projects and food security issues in the Bering Strait region. Also highlighted will be several of the changes that Bering Strait communities have observed and are concerned with, as well as the importance of the connection between human well-being and the health of the marine environment.