In 2015, 12.7 percent of U.S. households were food insecure. Of those, 7.7 percent were households with low food security and the other 5 percent were households with very low food security. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity, low food security and very low food security as follows:

Food Insecurity – at times during the year, these households were uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food to meet the needs of all their members because they had insufficient money or other resources for food. Food-insecure households include those with low food security and very low food security.

Low food security – households obtained enough food to avoid substantially disrupting their eating patterns or reducing food intake by using a variety of coping strategies, such as eating less varied diets, participating in Federal food assistance programs, or getting emergency food from community food pantries.

Very low food security – normal eating patterns of one or more household members were disrupted and food intake was reduced at times during the year because they had insufficient money or other resources for food.

About 160,000 indigenous Inuit people (from Canada, the United States (U.S.), Greenland and Russia) are affected by food insecurity and currently, there is a lack in effective and sustainable policies that take into consideration indigenous perspective. The traditional components of food insecurity include availability, access, quality and utilization however, Alaskan Inuits view food security as the natural right of all Inuit to be part of the ecosystem, to access food and to care-take, protect and respect all of life, land, water and air. It is characterized by environmental health and is made up of six interconnecting dimensions, which include: availability; Inuit culture; decision-making power and management; health and wellness; stability; and accessibility. (Inuit Circumpolar Council-Alaska 2015. Alaskan Inuit Food Security Conceptual Framework: How to Assess the Arctic From an Inuit Perspective: Summary Report and Recommendations Report. Anchorage, AK.)

PROJECT

My communication project aims to present how indigenous communities view food security, how current policies impede progress in this area, through the use of a 1-page policy brief and infographic. Both the policy brief and infographic will address three key issues: a) the lack of subsistence priority, b) harvest disasters and c) impacts of increased activity in the region, with an explanation of how Alaskan indigenous communities view food security as its foundation.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this project is to educate and communicate the nuances of food security when it involves Arctic Indigenous communities.

AUDIENCE

I plan to address state government officials as well as share my project with key members and representatives of the Alaskan indigenous communities with the goal of making sure that I capture specific nuances.

It is my hope that my project and information shared will be the catalyst that encourages state policy makers to review current policies and engage with the Alaskan subsistence communities to develop and implement policies that are better suited to dealing with food security.

Next Steps

1. Identify more information for one-pager
2. Develop key takeaways
3. Begin researching and select possible images to use for infographic
4. Develop list of possible state officials to brief