Monitoring the dynamic vulnerability of an Arctic subsistence food system to climate change: The case of Ulukhaktok, NT

Nutrition biomarker assessment and exploration of the role of country foods to improve food security in the Sahtú Region, Canada

Country foods (i.e. wild traditional food) are associated with improved nutrition for northern populations. In response to community concerns, a project was implemented from 2019 to 2021 in the Sahtú region, Northwest Territories, Canada, to: 1) analyse nutrition biomarkers (vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, D, E, folate, P, Na) in blood samples, in order to assess nutritional status and identify nutrient deficiencies, and 2) use a survey to document how access to country foods may improve food security in the community of Tulı́t'a. Findings from the nutritional biomarker assessments (n = 128) indicated that 94% of participants experienced clinical vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/L of plasma 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3) and 9% had folate deficiency (<8.7 nmol/L total folate). In the previous 12 months, 71% of participants did not always have money to get more food when needed, but 92% of participants said they were not left hungry. Country foods were used to increase the quality or quantity of the diet. Increasing country food consumption, such as fatty fish and large game meat and organs could mitigate the vitamin D and folate deficiencies. Policies should be implemented to improve food security in the North by facilitating access to country food.

Monitoring climate change vulnerability in the Himalayas

Longitudinal assessment of climate vulnerability is essential for understanding the complex factors affecting how people experience and respond to climate change. We report on the first longitudinal assessment of climate vulnerability in the Himalayan region, exploring the evolving landscape, perceptions, and experiences of communities of climate change impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation in Kashmir over an 8-year period from 2017 to 2024. We provide the Himalayan Re-study Framework (HRF) to monitor, characterise, and conceptualise climate change in the Himalayas. Utilising mixed methods, we showcase how climate change is affecting social, economic, political, and environmental dimensions, examining how the impacts of climate change and vulnerability evolve over time, shaping and reshaping how climate risks are experienced and responded to by communities. Our analysis reveals a nuanced understanding of vulnerability, highlighting the impact on communities' livelihoods and water security, differential impacts on marginalised communities, and the gendered nature of climate change. We examine how certain sections of the population face marginalisation, discrimination, and racism, and how climate change exacerbates these challenges. Kashmir's vulnerability to climate change extends beyond environmental factors, intertwining with culture, livelihoods, social dynamics, and politics. Climate change continues to compete for attention with immediate political and socio-economic challenges, highlighting the need for integrated approaches to address both environmental and societal issues in Kashmir.

Indigenous food production in a carbon economy

Indigenous communities in the North American Arctic are characterized by mixed economies that feature hunting, fishing, gathering, and trapping activities-and associated sharing practices-alongside the formal wage economy. The region is also undergoing rapid social, economic, and climate changes, including, in Canada, carbon taxation, which is impacting the cost of fuel used in local food harvesting. Because of the importance of local foods to nutrition, health, and well-being in Arctic Indigenous communities, there is an urgent need to better understand the sensitivity of Arctic food systems to social, economic, and climate changes and to develop plans for mitigating potential adverse effects. Here, we develop a Bayesian model to calculate the substitution value and carbon emissions of market replacements for local food harvests in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Canada. Our estimates suggest that under plausible scenarios, replacing locally harvested foods with imported market substitutes would cost over 3.1 million Canadian dollars per year and emit over 1,000 tons of CO2-equivalent emissions per year, regardless of the shipping scenario. In contrast, we estimate that gasoline inputs to harvesting cost approximately $295,000 and result in 315 to 497 tons of emissions. These results indicate that climate change policies that fail to account for local food production may undermine emissions targets and adversely impact food security and health in Arctic Indigenous communities, who already experience a high cost of living and high rates of food insecurity.

Inuit-defined determinants of food security in academic research focusing on Inuit Nunangat and Alaska: A scoping review protocol

BACKGROUND

Academic research on food security in Inuit Nunangat and Alaska frequently adopts the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations' working definition of food security and Western conceptualisations of what it means to be 'food secure'. However, in 2014, the Alaskan branch of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) stated that academic and intergovernmental definitions and understandings 'are important, but not what we are talking about when we say food security'. The organisation subsequently developed its own conceptualisation and definition: the Alaskan Inuit Food Security Conceptual Framework (AIFSCF), which in 2020 received informal assent by ICC-Canada.

AIM

This protocol establishes a review strategy to examine how well academic research reflects Inuit conceptualisations and understandings of food security, as outlined in the AIFSCF.

METHODS

Review structure and reporting will be completed according to adapted RepOrting standards for Systematic Evidence Syntheses (ROSES) guidelines. A comprehensive search strategy will be used to locate peer-reviewed research from Medline, Scopus, Web of Science and the Arctic and Antarctic Regions (EBSCO) databases. Dual reviewer screening will take place at the abstract, title, and full-text stages. Different study methodologies (qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods) will be included for review, on the proviso that articles identify drivers of food security. An a priori coding framework will be applied by a single reviewer to extract data on publication characteristics, methods and article aims. Deductive thematic content analysis will then identify the frequency and precedence afforded within literature to the drivers and dimensions of food security identified by the AIFSCF.

Projected decrease in trail access in the Arctic

Transportation systems in northern Canada are highly sensitive to climate change. We project how access to semi-permanent trails on land, water, and sea ice might change this century in Inuit Nunangat (the Inuit homeland in northern Canada), using CMIP6 projections coupled with trail access models developed with community members. Overall trail access is projected to diminish, with large declines in access for sea ice trails which play a central role for Inuit livelihoods and culture; limits to adaptation in southern regions of Inuit Nunangat within the next 40 years; a lengthening of the period when no trails are accessible; and an unequal distribution of impacts according to the knowledge, skills, equipment, and risk tolerance of trail users. There are opportunities for adaptation through efforts to develop skillsets and confidence in travelling in more marginal environmental conditions, which can considerably extend the envelope of days when trails are accessible and months when this is possible. Such actions could reduce impacts across emissions scenarios but their potential effectiveness declines at higher levels of global warming, and in southern regions only delays when sea ice trails become unusable.

Identifying Barriers and Pathways Linking Fish and Seafood to Food Security in Inuit Nunangat: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Fish and seafood play an important role in improving food security in Inuit Nunangat. Therefore, this scoping review aims to explore (1) what topics and/or themes have been widely explored in the literature related to barriers and pathways linking fish and seafood to food security; (2) where research, policy, and action gaps exist; and (3) how fisheries currently contribute to food security.

METHODS

A systematic search of peer-reviewed articles was conducted using six databases. Articles were screened by two independent reviewers. Eligible studies included primary research conducted in Inuit Nunangat that explored the roles of fish and seafood in food security.

RESULTS

Thirty-one articles were included for review. Overall, we found that fisheries can influence food security through direct pathways (e.g., consuming fish for nutrition), and through indirect pathways such as increasing household purchasing power (e.g., through employment). Research indicated that policies relating to wildlife and fisheries management need to be integrated with food and health policies to better address food insecurity in Inuit Nunangat.

CONCLUSION

Future research is needed to establish a more robust understanding of the explicit mechanisms that fish and seafood harvest and/or the participation in commercial fisheries alleviates household food insecurity.