Food security: A summary

Environmental change poses a severe risk to indigenous food security. For generations, indigenous peoples have relied on a diverse range of fungi, plant and animal species for food and medicine. As ecosystems have been exploited, the availability of these resources has greatly diminished. Pollution, disease and introduction of invasive species has further hampered the productivity of the ecosystems that remain. These traditional foods not only provide irreplaceable sustenance but also have a cultural importance in terms of ceremonies, harvesting, processing and sharing of these resources.

A Brazilian Awa family go on a gathering trip

Winter sea ice is rapidly disappearing as a result of climate change, threatening food security for Arctic indigenous communities. As we have seen with the Inupiat, traditionally hunted species such as the bowhead whale are becoming less available due to population declines or range shifts. Other key species such as walruses are declining due to this loss of habitat, and the Athabascan peoples in central Alaska have also observed changes in moose habitat and health.

Lynn et al. have conducted research on the impact of climate change on traditional Native American and Alaskan foods. In Wabanaki culture, berries are important indicators of ecosystems health and services, and guide the timing of activities such as wild plant gathering, hunting and fishing. For examples, the blossoming of the shadbush in early spring used to coincide with the spring migration of the shad fish. This would alert the Wabanaki people that it was time to move to the low lands, but environmental and climatic changes have begun to impact the range and abundance of these berries. In the Amazon basin, fish are an important and diverse food resource for indigenous populations. The life cycles of fish closely follow the seasonal river flooding cycle. Flooding in the southern regime of the Amazon River has not been sufficient since 1999, with dire consequences on fish reproduction.

Bushmen in Botswana

Indigenous peoples are proactively seeking ways to adapt to the changing environment. One method is to diversify the resource base, by planting or farming different species with varying susceptibility to droughts or floods, and supplementing this with wild foods. For example, in the Kalahari Desert, changes in precipitation have encouraged a shift from cattle to goats, and manually watered gardening instead of rain-fed crops. Harvesting techniques are also changing. The Gitga'at of British Columbia traditionally sun-dry food, but because of an increase in unusually wet spells, they are beginning to freeze food or dry it indoors more often.

Summary

In terms of food security, indigenous peoples are the first to experience the effects of environmental change. However, throughout history, indigenous knowledge has adapted to such changes and is continuing to adapt. Knowledge already exists within indigenous communities to cope with adverse conditions such as flooding or droughts. Nevertheless, it is the novel layer of political and economic marginalisation which threatens indigenous life and makes indigenous peoples today more vulnerable to environmental change.