The role of agriculture and food businesses in tackling growing food insecurity among Indigenous peoples

Canada is considered one of the wealthiest economies in the world, recording the 10th largest national GDP in 2023. Despite this fact, food insecurity has remained prevalent nation-wide, and has also trended higher in recent years due to a wide variety of challenges. Most notably, rising food costs attributable to adverse weather conditions, rising input costs, and disruptions in global supply chains have impacted all Canadians. The national prevalence of food insecurity increased by 4.5% between 2021 and 2022 and Indigenous people grapple with the realities of food insecurity at significantly higher rates compared to non-Indigenous people.

The situation is also worsening. At the end of 2022, over a third of the Indigenous population reported varying degrees of food insecurity – 37%, compared to a rate of 23% for the Canadian population overall. It is estimated that almost 50% of households on-reserve are food insecure. And across Canada, households where the primary income earner is Indigenous are nearly twice as likely to be food insecure as households where the main income earner is Caucasian, even after controlling for socio-economic factors like income, source of income, and home ownership.

If food insecurity among Indigenous populations were reduced to a level similar to that of non-Indigenous populations, this would translate into 165,000 fewer food insecure people. Several initiatives and programs have been aimed at closing this gap but have had muted success. The Canadian agriculture and food industry is uniquely positioned to be a catalyst for positive change in this area.

Before outlining the role of agriculture and food businesses, let’s discuss the drivers behind food insecurity among Indigenous peoples.

Why is there such a striking gap?

Significant and persistent socio-economic gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada are well documented. Colonialism; the impacts of intergenerational trauma, discrimination and institutional racism; barriers to education and workforce participation; and the long-term consequences of residential schools have all had inter-generational impacts on the socio-economic status of Indigenous peoples, households and communities.

Indigenous peoples have been stewards and cultivators of the land now known as Canada since long before the arrival of European settlers. But the historic and contemporary impacts of colonial policies have restricted the ability of Indigenous peoples and communities to engage in both traditional and contemporary agriculture and food systems, posing challenges to achieving Food Sovereignty, and generating far reaching negative economic, cultural and health impacts. On average, there is a 65% disparity in median farm operating revenue between Indigenous and non-Indigenous farmers.

Income inequality between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples is pronounced. There was an $11,800 (23%) gap in average total yearly income between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in 2022, according to Statistics Canada. Factors including barriers to education and employment and the geographic remoteness of many Indigenous communities have led to less-than favourable employment outcomes such as lower labour force participation and higher unemployment rates.

Given the remoteness of some communities, the price of food is also disproportionately high compared to the rest of the country. High transportation costs and limited food retail options in remote communities can drive up food costs significantly. Generally, food prices are roughly twice as expensive in northern communities, and the impact of food inflation is felt much more severely in those communities.

Bridging the Gap: the Role of the Agriculture and Food Sector

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