Identifying Opportunities and Barriers for Local Food Infrastructure in Yellowknife, NWT

Communities throughout Canada’s North are turning to small-scale agriculture in hopes of solving food security issues, fostering economic growth and adapting to climate change. The City of Yellowknife has developed an Agriculture Strategy to build a resilient local food system. Through an emerging partnership between the City of Yellowknife and Wilfrid Laurier University, the Mitacs intern will engage community members and local food actors to identify how potential infrastructure, such as a food hub, can foster opportunities and address community-defined needs to enhance the local food economy. Through interviews and focus groups, community members will envision a sustainable food system in Yellowknife and provide input into how infrastructure can improve access to healthy, locally produced food and support the emerging local food economy. This research will result in recommendations to the City Council on infrastructure, programming and policy needs to further the dialog of local and sustainable food systems in the North.

Faculty Supervisor:

Andrew Spring

Student:

Jennifer Katherine Temmer

Partner:

City of Yellowknife

Discipline:

Environmental sciences

Sector:

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services

University:

Wilfrid Laurier University