Case Study: Food production techniques in an extreme environment, the Arctic

There is a 'hunting, herding, fishing and gathering' culture of food production

Food production methods used by Indigenous people #

Wakeham Bay, Quebec, northern Canada

Fresh food sources come from the ocean where coastal sea tide allows for mussel farming

Qaanaaq, northern Greenland

Barrow, Alaska

Inuit people are traditional hunters of marine mammals, such as narwhal, a type of whale which provides a rich source of vitamin C

Whale meat is consumed about twice a week
Whale oil is added to other food sources like Caribou
Traditionally, the meat is prepared and distributed when the boats come ashore and is kept in caves dug in the permafrost

Threats to food security

Climate Change

The Arctic covers 14.5km²
Some parts are covered in ice sheets, e.g. the majority of Greenland; others are tundra e.g. northern Alaska
Thick ice and snow cover, bitter cold and frequent storms
Summers can have periods of continuous daylight (due to the tilt of the Earth) but the low angle of the sun means that temperatures don't rise much above freezing
Short growing season in summer (6-8wks)

Arctic Tundra

Low organic productivity
NPP of 140g/m²/yr
Low moisture (as much of it is stored as ice) for most of the year so plants must be adapted to moisture-deficient conditions
Plants are compact, low and slow growing as they have adapted to the high winds and limited growing season
Plants have short roots to avoid the permafrost and use the short summer thaw
There are mainly low shrubs, lichens and mosses
The lack of nitrogen-fixing plants limits fertility
The cold, wet conditions inhibit decomposition of plant material

There is a 'hunting, herding, fishing and gathering' culture of food production

In spring, the tide changes 2 times a day
As the tide goes out, the sea levels falls and the sea ice covering it drops down
Where the ice touches the sea bed, caves are created where ice blocks lean together
Mussels are harvested here
They provide a rich source of minerals and vitamins

In the summer, the hunters camp on the edge of the sea ice and travel in kayaks between the fragments of ice blocks to catch their prey using handmade harpoons
The skin of narwhals, maktaaq, contains more vitamin C than oranges

Inupiat people hunt bowhead whales, which pass the coast twiice a year

There is a low species diversity and delicate food webs which makes the ecosystem very vulnerable to change

Hunting Terrain

Decreasing ice

Quantity and quality of food sources

Polar bears have a lowering body mass as they are forced to scavenge berries, mosses, lichens and bird eggs; this disrupts the food supply of other species
FIsh stocks dependant on ice cover have declined and their feeding territory has been invaded by warm-water species

Warming of the Arctic

Grazing animals, like reindeer and Peary caribou have decreased as an earlier spring means that calves are born past the peak of prime foliage availability, so many don't survive
Woody shrubs are expanding at the expense of lichens and other caribou food sources
More 'southerly' animals like deer are moving north and bringing diseases like meningeal brain worm, which is lethal to caribou

# Impact on diet of indigenous people

Problems with availability of food, increasing pollution and contamination are leading them to belief that the safety and quality of their 'wild resources' are in decline
Contaminents are showing up in animals, fish and water in the Arctic
People are turning to alternative store-bought foods
This brings social problems like malnutrition, obesity, health issues and economic problems
The food prices are high due to remoteness but there are low budgets due to low incomes and restricted job opportunites
The foods are often high in salt, sugar and unhealthy fats are leading to a decline in general health
30% of Inuit children suffer malnutrition
In 2012, 65% of adults in Alaska where classed overweight or obese