Investing in Indigenous Food Sovereignty

From coast to coast, many Indigenous communities are taking steps toward food sovereignty. What do these steps look like and what makes sense for your own community? 

Before we dive into examples, let’s define food sovereignty and why it's preferred over the more common term food security. Food sovereignty is a term coined by a global farmer's movement Via Campesina in 1961 and is defined as:

“Food Sovereignty is the right of peoples, communities, and countries to define their own agricultural, labour, fishing, food and land policies, which are ecologically, socially, economically and culturally appropriate to their unique circumstances.” (Working Group on Indigenous Food Sovereignty report, 2008)

Essentially: the right of a community to define its own diet and therefore shape its own food system. It is the preferred term because it focuses on giving power back to a community.

In a recent letter signed by 18 members across organizations in support of Indigenous food sovereignty amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they concluded, "As much as we require food security in communities, self-determination may be just as important."

Food sovereignty solutions that make sense

Growcer’s container farm in Kuujjuaq provides the Northen Quebec community with year-round access to fresh produce.

How resilient is your community’s food system? Are there multiple sources of food? What would happen if food prices increased? Would the effects of climate change impact your current system? These questions impact what we do today to ensure prosperity for the generations to come. 

Growing your own food - while one option for better food sovereignty - only makes sense if it is sustainable and profitable. 

The Growcer produces compact plug-and-play hydroponic growing systems that enable year-round growing for a variety of produce. These systems extend the growing season to 365 days a year and can operate in the most remote or northern climates. 

However, there are critiques that the leafy greens produced through indoor systems are inadequate compared to more calorie-dense foods like animals and root crops when it comes to northern food sovereignty. 

But, while valid, many communities are not relying on hydroponic growing as the only answer. The communities we work with pair hydroponic systems with other initiatives for a multi-faceted approach toward food sovereignty. 

In the examples below, Indigenous communities have been able to do more than just grow produce with a container farm, they’ve been able to: 

• employ members of the community;

• keep economic spending within local stores;

• facilitate community kitchens that serve as meeting and educational spaces;

• provide a fresh source of produce for local restaurants;

• meet community demands for fresher produce;

• customize their system to grow traditional produce such as mountain sorrel (gungulik), herbs, and teas;

• donate produce to vulnerable members; and 

• reinvest revenues in other community projects.

Gitmaxmak’ay Nisga’a Society: adding to a community hub

The Gitmaxmak'ay Nisga’a Society is prepping the site behind their garden centre for the arrival of one of their container farm.