Food Security

In a reading given after a session on food security and sustainable agriculture, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, "food security is when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life". Patrica Cochran from the Alaska Native Science Commission, spoke to the issue of food security using her situation in her community in the Alaskan Arctic. For many reasons, the Inuit peoples' situation is not how food security is defined. Instead there has been higher rates of hunger due to things like changes in animal availability, people's access to the wildlife, the safety and quality of the animals for consumption, and low household income. She said her community and others are witnessing changes in climate that are affecting the availability of species and residents’ ability to harvest them, and likely ultimately affecting their nutrient intake from these foods. In some cases, residents are having to adapt harvesting activities and reduce their consumption of some species, and in other cases, increasing their intake of other animals that are moving into their region.



Patricia Cochran, Kirt Ejesiak, and Ronny Jumeau

Not only are some native animals becoming less available, they're also being contaminated. In a study done by GRID-Ardenal, an official United Nations Environment Program collaboration, they found increased levels of mercury in marine species, that exceed Canadian and international safety guidelines. There have also been traces of pharmaceutical chemicals, and natives have observed abnormalities in native wildlife; meat tasting different, animals like muskrats having liver and lung spots, and caribou having "runny" bone marrow. On Alaska Native Science Commission's website, Cochran had another presentation that she referenced when she spoke, called 'Impact of Climate Change on Alaska Native Communities, which blamed the possible sources of pollutants on mines, military sites, chemicals used for dust control, vehicle oil leaks, fire retardants, acid rain, local sources of contaminants ranging from fuel tanks, asbestos, lead based paint, and pulp mills. Due to the contaminants found in local foods, many are now relying on store bought goods. This shift is resulting in an increased intake of carbohydrates and saturated fats, and is projected to increase western-type diseases among the population in the future, having possible negative impacts on the health of these communities. But the Inuits have already begun to see changes in their health, and more people are dying from stomach cancer, ulcers and other cancers than before.

The Inuit people are not the only indigenous group experiencing these threats of food security, it is being felt everywhere. In April 2009, 300 indigenous representatives from 7 regions of the world came together in Anchorage, Alaska to discuss among other climate change issues, food security. As quoted from UNEP's publication called 'The Environmental Food Crisis,' "The current world food crisis is the result of the combined effects of competition for cropland from the growth in bio-fuels, low cereal stocks, high oil prices, speculation in food markets and extreme weather events". Groups like Patricia Cochran's, FAO, and others are working towards safer food supply for all.