Local Food Sustainability Planning in Moose Cree First Nation, Northern Ontario, Canada.

Abstract

This thesis builds on the Indigenous Health Research Group’s work with northern remote Indigenous communities addressing food security challenges through local food initiatives. The focus will be on the efforts the Moose Cree First Nation in northern Ontario is taking to build local food capacity by introducing community gardening. This thesis applies a participatory action research approach, and its purpose is to provide: 1) an ethnographic description of the creation of local food initiatives in the Moose Cree First Nation; and 2) online monitoring of the resilience of these local food initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic, and an analysis of the purpose(s) of local food initiatives. Fieldwork for this thesis was conducted in 2019 and a Zoom interview with the Moose Cree Local Food Developer was conducted in 2022. In essence, this research points to the relevance and importance of local food initiatives for remote Indigenous communities who are looking to improve health and wellness, increase food diversity, make fresh produce more accessible in terms of price and availability, and work towards gaining more control over their own local food system.