Food sovereignty in the circumpolar north: a multiscalar analysis of the obstacles, solutions and knowledge gaps - Annie Lamalice, Thora Martina Herrmann, Marie-Pierre Beauvais, Sylvie Blangy, Jean-Louis Martin & Sébastien Rioux

Food represents a strong interlinkage between societies and the natural environment, particularly for indigenous populations, which have not given up their traditional livelihoods and knowledge allowing them to live out of the resources available on their ancestral lands. If food sovereignty used to be a common characteristic of indigenous food systems all around the circumpolar North, these regions are now increasingly reliant on international and industrial food supply networks. This results in diminishing the control exercised by Arctic Indigenous Peoples over their food systems and the socio-ecological context of its production. Based on the analysis of seventeen semi-directed interviews with public health workers, government agents, and local actors involved in food projects as well as with scientific experts across the circumpolar North, we will analyze the challenges common to different circumpolar regions and present the recommendations identified by the respondents towards enhancing food security and food sovereignty in these regions. As the relationships with the surrounding environment Arctic Indigenous societies is directly related to the health and well-being of individuals and communities, we particularly focus on potential solutions highlighting this relationship through a process of environmental repossession.