Indigenous-led Food Sovereignty Working Group

The Food Sovereignty Working Group, formally the Food Security Working Group, is a growing network out of the Arctic Observing Summits to support community-driven research processes, Indigenous sovereignty in policy and decision-making, and sharing of the Indigenous-led work on Indigenous food security in the Arctic. Currently, science and policy frameworks are not representative of the Indigenous relationship and responsibility to the land and waters, FSWG's goal is to facilitate change through spanning the boundaries and uplifting Indigenous governance, research, and leaders.

Food Security and Policy

The Arctic environment is critical to the food systems and well-being of Indigenous Peoples across the circumpolar North. The Arctic environment’s highly interconnected systems are interwoven through all aspects of Indigenous natural, cultural, and social aspects of life. This interconnectedness necessitates an understanding of the complex and nuanced connectivity across systems, as they are critically important to all aspects of Indigenous lives and livelihoods, including Indigenous food security. Policy and decision-making are what impacts Indigenous food security, health, and well-being in the context of a rapidly changing Arctic environment. Researchers need to understand the policy systems and how their research can effectively be used to make better informed decisions. Projects need to bring together Indigenous Knowledges and science to enhance the robustness of the research. Observing systems must equitably and ethically include Indigenous Peoples’ Knowledges with usable outputs for timely, informed decision-making, including moving past validating Indigenous Knowledge to support Indigenous leadership in research, observing, and policy-making.