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Food Insecurity Among Inuit Women in Igloolik, Nunavut: The Role of Climate Change and Multiple Stressors

Food Insecurity Among Inuit Women in Igloolik, Nunavut: The Role of Climate Change and Multiple Stressors
Type: 
Poster
Maude Beaumier1, James D. Ford2, Marie-Pierre Lardeau3
1Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, H3A 2K6, Canada, Phone 514-398-4400, Fax 514-398-7437, maude [dot] beaumier [at] mail [dot] mcgill [dot] ca
2Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, H3A 2K6, Canada, Phone 514-398-4400, Fax 514-398-7437, james [dot] ford [at] mcgill [dot] ca
3Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, H3A 2K6, Canada, Phone 514-398-4400, Fax 514-398-7437, marie-pierre [dot] lardeau [at] mail [dot] mcgill [dot] ca

The territory of Nunavut has the highest prevalence of food insecurity in Canada, where over 50% of Inuit households are believed to experience difficulties in obtaining sufficient food. This significantly exceeds the Canadian average of 9.2%. Food insecurity is manifest when food systems are stressed such that adequate nutrition is not accessible, available and/or of sufficient quality. Several studies have reported food systems to be negatively affected by economic, social and cultural transformations and climate change. Inuit women have been identified to be particularly vulnerable to food insecurity and more at risk to climate change. Food insecurity can have serious implications for women's physical and mental health, and social well-being resulting in increased susceptibility to infection and chronic health afflictions. This paper examines how climate change might affect Inuit women's food security using a case study from the community of Igloolik, Nunavut, and drawing on a mixed methods approach, including semi-structured interviews with 36 women, focus groups with 19 women, and interviews with local and territorial health professionals and policy makers. Results show a high prevalence of food insecurity with 76% of women skipping or reducing size of their meals in 2008 and 40% reporting not eating enough food when food supplies run out. Multiple determinants of food insecurity operating over different spatial-temporal scales were identified including food affordability and budgeting, food knowledge, education and preferences, food quality and availability, absence of a full time hunter in the household, and the cost of harvesting. These determinants are operating in the context of changing livelihoods, addictions, poverty and climate related stresses, which in many cases are exacerbating food insecurity. The identification of pathways through which climate affects female food security in the context of other stresses is particularly important for policy responses to strengthen Inuit food security.

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National Science Foundation | Division of Arctic Sciences
National Science Foundation
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
International Arctic Systems for Observing the Atmosphere
International Arctic Systems for Observing the Atmosphere
Study of Environmental Arctic Change
Study of Environmental Arctic Change
Arctic System Science Program
Arctic System Science Program
US Arctic Research Commission
US Arctic Research Commission
North Slope Science Initiative
North Slope Science Initiative
International Arctic Science Committee
International Arctic Science Committee
Arctic Ocean Sciences Board
Arctic Ocean Sciences Board
Alaska Ocean Observing System
Alaska Ocean Observing System
Department of Energy
Department of Energy
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
World Wildlife Fund
WWF
Association of Polar Early Career Scientists
Association of Polar Early Career Scientists
Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
International Study of Arctic Change
International Study of Arctic Change
ArcticNet
ArcticNet
DAMOCLES
Developing Arctic Modeling and Observing Capabilities for Long-term Environmental Studies

This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the ARCUS Cooperative Agreement ARC-0618885. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.