Collaborating toward improving food security in Nunavut

Figures & data

Table I. Determinants of food (in) security in the Eastern Arctic

		Determinants of food (in) security
		Country food	Store food
Availability	Environmental	• Altered migration patterns of wildlife • Varied distribution of wildlife • Seasonal disparity in wildlife	• Inclement weather causing flight delays • Changing sea ice dynamics causing sea-lift delays
Socio-economic	• Growing populations putting localized pressure on wildlife • Lack of hunter in the household	• Stores ordering enough supply to meet demand • Lack of worker in the household • Presence of community food programs (i.e. food bank, soup kitchen) • Presence of government food programs (i.e. Breakfast Program)
Accessibility	Environmental	• Shorter sea ice season preventing hunters from using the sea ice • Longer open water season allowing hunters to go boating • Unpredictable weather patterns • More frequent storms • Stronger and more variable winds causing white-out conditions	• Isolation of communities • Heavy reliance on external transportation networks • Extreme weather events preventing people from leaving their homes
Socio-economic	• Level of traditional knowledge required to hunt/harvest wildlife • Time needed to hunt/harvest • High cost of hunting (i.e. equipment, gas) • Weakening of sharing networks • Gambling/substance abuse/addiction	• High cost of food • Insufficient financial resources required to purchase food • Policies/regulations imposed from other jurisdictions that are not an appropriate fit in Nunavut • Weakening social networksGambling/substance abuse/addiction
Quality	Environmental	• Contaminants affecting health of wildlife • Freeze–thaw cycles preventing animals from adequately foraging	• Flight delays causing spoilage
Socio-economic	• Traditional knowledge required to harvest the healthiest animals	• Nutritional knowledge required to make healthy food choices • Language barriers (i.e. English food labels hinder unilingual Inuit)
Use	Environmental	• Changing environmental conditions leading to spoilage (i.e. caching)	• N/A
Socio-economic	• Traditional knowledge required to prepare wildlife	• Cooking skills required to prepare groceries • Language barriers (i.e. English recipes hinder unilingual Inuit)

Fig. 1.  Timeline of the broad factors that helped to prioritize food security. *Note on April 1, 2013 the Department of Health and Social Services (HSS) became the Department of Health and a new Department of Family Services was formed.

Fig. 2.  The Nunavut Food Security Coalition's 6 themes of food security.