Relationality, Responsibility and Reciprocity: Cultivating Indigenous Food Sovereignty within Urban Environments.

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Indigenous Studies
• Environmental Studies

Background:

• Urban Indigenous Peoples often face displacement from traditional territories.
• Reconnecting with culture and identity is sought through land and food practices.
• Indigenous food sovereignty (IFS) movements are emerging in urban settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the experiences of Indigenous community members engaged in IFS programming.
• To explore the dynamics of urban IFS initiatives in the Grand River Territory.
• To understand how IFS initiatives contribute to cultural reconnection.

Main Methods:

• Community-based participatory research guided by Indigenous methodologies.
• Thematic analysis of experiences from seven Indigenous community members.
• Development of a conceptual model illustrating key themes.

Main Results:

• Four inter-related themes emerged: Land-based knowledge, Land and food practices, relational principles, and place.
• Five key Land and food-based practices were identified: seed saving, growing/gathering, hunting/fishing, processing/preserving, and sharing/distributing.
• Three relational principles (responsibility, relationality, reciprocity) guided these practices.

Conclusions:

• Self-determined food processes are crucial pathways to urban Indigenous food sovereignty.
• Urban IFS initiatives offer novel ways to reconnect Indigenous Peoples with land and food.
• This study provides a unique understanding of urban IFS in the Grand River Territory.