Food (in)security in the Canadian Arctic : a home economics educator’s narrative journey

Food insecurity is a huge concern across the Canadian Arctic. Research shows that close to 70% of Inuit preschoolers live in food insecure homes and the overall prevalence of household food insecurity in the Arctic is close to 63% (Egeland, Williamson-Bathory, Johnson-Down & Sobol, 2011). The relatively recent transition from a traditional diet to a diet highly supplemented with expensive store-bought foods has contributed to the lack of food security among Inuit. Education can be part of the solution for food insecurity in Nunavut, and home economics teachers in Nunavut are in a unique position to be able to deliver a program that could assist in alleviating the high incidences of food insecurity in the territory. At the moment, very little research exists in terms of how home economic education can be a tool to support increasing food security levels in Nunavut. My selfstudy research looks my own experiences as a home economics teacher in the Arctic, with the goal of determining what role home economics education could possibly play in improving Nunavut’s currently dire food situation.Education, Faculty ofCurriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department ofUnreviewedGraduat