Food Security in the Takla Lake First Nation

Food security, defined as people having access to food that is nutritionally adequate, safe, culturally appropriate and socially acceptable, is increasingly becoming a public health concern. In many First Nations communities, issues of food security are the result of geographic isolation, low socioeconomic status, threats to traditional food resources and inflated costs of store-bought foods. The Takla Lake First Nation, located in northern British Columbia, experience food insecurity but rarely does research focus on the people who are impacted. This research gives this community a voice and we discover that food security is overwhelmingly and directly attributed to the cumulative legacies of multiple colonial processes (i.e., the reserve system, residential schools, and the social and environmental upheavals associated with ever expanding commercial resource extraction on traditional lands). This knowledge will be used to better inform public health initiatives aimed at improving the dietary health of First Nations populations.

Autorentext

Pamela Tobin, MA, is a Project Lead for clinical projects with the Northern Cancer Control Strategy in Prince George, BC. She is also a community health researcher with First Nations communities throughout Northern BC. Neil Hanlon, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Northern British Columbia.