Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change: Producing Potatoes ( Solanum tuberosum L.) and Bush Beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) for Improved Food Security and Resilience in a Canadian Subarctic First Nations Community

• Main Authors: Christine D. Barbeau, Maren Oelbermann, Jim D. Karagatzides, Leonard J. S. Tsuji
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Subjects: Arctic; Canada; Fort Albany; Climate change; First Nations; Subarctic
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/7/5/5664/pdf; https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/7/5/5664/

Aboriginal people in Canada experience disproportionately high rates of diet-related illnesses, such as obesity and diabetes. Food insecurity has been identified as a contributing factor to these illnesses along with a loss of traditional lifestyle. Current food systems within northern subarctic and arctic regions of Canada rely heavily on imported foods that are expensive (when available), and are environmentally unsustainable. A warming subarctic and arctic climate present challenges, but also offers the opportunity for local agricultural production that can increase food security and promote a more sustainable food system. In this study the feasibility of sustainably growing potatoes ( Solanum tuberosum L.) utilizing agroforestry practices to enhance food security in remote subarctic communities is explored through a case study in Fort Albany First Nation in northern Ontario, Canada. Potato crops were grown over a two-year period and rotated into plots that had been planted with green bush beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Results showed that potatoes and bush beans could be grown successfully in the subarctic without the use of greenhouses with yields comparable to more conventional high-input agricultural methods. In subarctic Canada, sustainable local food production can help to promote social capital, healthier lifestyles, and food security. food security; aboriginal; sustainable food production; arctic; subarctic; agroforestry