INUVIK
After a roundtable discussion May 21, it's clear there are a number of hurdles to jump before the NWT can establish a viable agricultural policy.

Kristen Callaghan was one of the participants discussing what an NWT agricultural strategy could look like during a roundtable forum at the Inuvik Community Greenhouse May 21. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo

Despite that, there is a clear appetite for the project.

About 15 people showed up to discuss the issue at a meeting sponsored by the GNWT at the Inuvik Community Greenhouse May 21.

"Agriculture hasn't really started here yet," said participant Eric Braathen.

Of the many challenges and obstacles that were noted at the meeting, it was clear that public perception and cultural awareness and sensitivities were two of the key points, along with proper training.

Don Hoover, who facilitated the meeting, said it can be problematic to convince people they can grow food in the Arctic.

"Then there's also just (a lack of) knowledge of how to do it," he said. "First is deciding that you can do it, the second is deciding how to do it. There's a real lack of knowledge in regard to basic food production, growing plants, harvesting plants and storing plants."

There is also a lack of infrastructure and knowledge about how to properly store foods, Hoover said.

"We have people who are passionate (about growing), but are not trained," added Debbie Boudreau.

She's both a gardener and a staff member of the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, which has been helping to develop food-production programs in the delta.

It's the seventh such meeting Hoover and his panel have been holding around the NWT.

"We're holding these meetings to develop public input into a strategy for the NWT.

It's important for potential employment, for economic diversity and for further development," he said.

The strategy isn't geared at food security issues in general, although it's certainly related, Hoover said, particularly affordability.

Hoover said the idea isn't necessarily to establish large-scale industrial farming. Instead, the focus is on small-scale and community-sized projects, particularly for the smaller and more isolated communities.

"It's production geared to the climate and the region and population."

After much discussion, the participants agreed their vision is to have affordable locally- grown food, hopefully that can be produced year-round.

Another thought was to have local networks established among communities where they could sell or trade their surplus products.

One person suggested turning the Inuvik Greenhouse into an agricultural institute where training could be provided.

"What we want is good quality food at affordable prices," said Don Craik.

Everyone should have access to some sort of gardening if they choose, the group suggested.

It's also vital for the relevant authorities, whether it's municipal government or territorial, to ensure they are encouraging people to try to grow their own food, rather than establishing rules and regulations that complicate the process or work against food production.

Tiffannie Kenny, who said she's a food security researcher working in the delta region, said she's found one of the key issues are cultural differences.

"People often say we're hunters and trappers, not farmers," she said. "And that we're not interested in being farmers."

That point touched off a lively debate of whether it's even appropriate to bring what was called "white southern" practices such as gardening and agriculture to the North. A debate also occurred as to how to meld semi-nomadic subsistence hunting and gathering lifestyles with agriculture.

Janet Boxwell was one of the main critics of that argument, suggesting there's no good reason why the two traditions couldn't "complement" each other.

She told the group the debate sounded too much like the one that's raged for generations between "ranchers and farmers" that's never been definitively settled.

Kenny also said that many elders in the delta have "negative associations" with gardening and agriculture due to the legacy of the residential school system. Many students were sent further south in the NWT as children to spend their summers working on gardens and farms, she said.

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