Summary

RESULTS

Key findings on the process of community-engaged research and knowledge co-production on local Indigenous food systems include a) the necessity of transdisciplinarity, knowledge plurality, context-specificity, shared goals, and interaction, and b) graduate student internships with partner organizations improve research relationships, understanding, and reciprocity. Key findings related to the nature of local Indigenous food systems identify these as c) a value network created by people and the land (Figure 1), d) supported by availability, accessibility, adequacy, and use as stacked food security foundations, and e) culture-defining and valuable economically and nutritionally. Key findings related to wildlife harvest and local food consumption in northern Quebec focus on f) accelerating and inter-related social, economic, and environmental change, g) the diversity of fishes, birds, mammals, and plants used as local food, and h) their varied importance, nutritionally and economically, between regions, among communities, and over time. Key findings focused on the impacts of climate change on local food security indicate i) the importance of the sensitivities and adaptive capacities of each component part and the system as a whole, j) system responses likely to include increased biodiversity (Figure 2), including the northward expansion of southern species, k) higher exposure and sensitivity in the North might lead to larger system responses, l) community harvest practices and food use seem unlikely to simply change as local climate and ecological conditions change, and m) local knowledge prioritization of declines in abundance, health, and use of key food species. Key findings related to policy implications emphasize n) local food system policy intersects with many other generally siloed policies, o) climate change impacts and adaptations are embedded within multiple jurisdictions and multiple stressors, and p) future climate predictions are useful, but need to find the right balance between generality and complexity, evidence and uncertainty, immediate actions and need for more information, and supporting expert opinion and embracing humility.

FUTURE ACTIVITIES

• Ongoing projects related to key local food species and environmental change in northern Quebec including i) the impact of expanding beaver colonies on char and other wildlife in Nunavik, ii) changing moose populations and habitat quality across climate, forestry, and fire disturbance gradients, iii) phenological change and the nutrition and wellness offered by berries and other plants, iv) changing coastal ecology of James Bay including eelgrass, geese, and polar bears

• Developing a youth learning and local food literacy project, focused initially in Whapmagoostui, Eeyou Istchee

• Expansion of focus on terrestrial diversity and production to consider how changes in marine productivity will affect local food security in Nunavik and Eeyou Marine Regions

• Action-oriented and community-led research focused on local and regional implementation of local food adaptation initiatives