Interested in Indigenous Food Sovereignty (IFS) in BC? This discussion paper by Tea Creek covers the agrarian heritage of First Nations, the importance of IFS and how to scale it up, and showcases 13 Indigenous food projects across the province. Supporting IFS benefits everyone by improving environmental, social, and economic outcomes, as well as fulfilling the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) and other provincial and federal government commitments.
Background
This discussion paper was prepared by Tea Creek, an Indigenous-led, land-based, culturally-safe Indigenous food sovereignty initiative located in Gitxsan territory near Gitwangak, between the settler communities of Smithers and Terrace, BC. It was commissioned by the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food on behalf of the B.C. Indigenous Advisory Council on Agriculture and Food (IACAF) to inform the Provincial Government’s understanding of the status of and perspectives on Indigenous food security and food sovereignty from Indigenous people directly involved in related initiatives. The study took place between January and March 2022, with updates and revisions in Spring 2023. The project and resulting discussion paper are intended as a foundational step to guide discussions and planning.
What is Food Sovereignty?
“Food Sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.”
— Food Secure Canada
Indigenous Peoples Were Farmers
Tea Creek often must dispel the myth that Indigenous people were not farmers.
This paper challenges the commonly held belief that Indigenous people were not engaged in agriculture and were not farmers. Prior to colonization, Indigenous peoples were primarily agrarian, living and working within complex agricultural systems across the continent. [See this recent article from Science Magazine about 7000 year old Indigenous-engineered hazelnut forests in northern BC, and see Jacob Beaton’s commentary here.] All Indigenous Nations were food sovereign. After colonization, many Nations adapted and remained successful in agriculture.
Historically and now, literature uses vague terms to describe Indigenous peoples’ food systems. The paper intentionally uses terms like agriculture and agrarian to reinforce the fact that Indigenous peoples were agrarian.
Anti-Indigenous Food Policies
Indigenous Peoples and Nations in what is now known as BC have a long and rich history of practicing food sovereignty. Canada’s federal government has harmed Indigenous peoples for many generations through genocidal policies and colonial violence. The Indian Act policies have disabled the productivity and competitiveness of Indigenous food producers. These policies, their surviving implementations, and their continuing legacies are described in more detail in the paper.
Where We Are Now
Despite a rich history of food sovereignty, today nearly half of all Indigenous people in Canada are food insecure or live in “food deserts,” which are neighbourhoods with little or no access to fresh, healthy, and affordable foods.
In the face of this adversity, there are some incredible Indigenous-led IFS projects in BC that are challenging narratives and feeding their communities. The paper highlights 13 of those inspiring projects.
The Path Forward
The following are priorities and recommendations from the paper to advance Indigenous Food Sovereignty that non-Indigenous farmers can engage in:
- Relationship and partnership building: Education, engagement, allyship
- Educate non-Indigenous agriculture and food producers about our collective history. Work on “myth busting” and sharing facts about the impact of colonization on IFS.
- Allyship and bridgebuilding encourages non-Indigenous organizations and businesses to actively support and cooperate with Indigenous communities.
- Land: Return land and amend policy for First Nations owned/operated
Agriculture Land Reserves (ALR)- Private reconciliation: Return land to Indigenous people: Future or existing Indigenous Land Trust/ Fund entity that can facilitate and support transferring fee simple lands to Indigenous people and Nations. Provincial purchasing of select private lands to return to First Nations through treaty agreements.
- Revise ALR rules to allow for Indigenous uses of ALR land. In general, these uses are more holistic and include housing, food, culture, and commercial.
We highly recommend the Indigenous-led model be a part of an Indigenous exemption to ALR uses. [Farmers reading this can advocate for these changes to ALR rules.]
- Fund Indigenous Food Sovereignty initiatives through a coordinated, sustainable approach
- YA adds: While this is mostly an ask for governments and funders, farmers can consider contributing produce, funds, or time to Indigenous-led initiatives.