Greenhouse Advancement in Nunavut
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G E N E V A C H A L L E N G E 2 0 2 0 GAIN: GREENHOUSE ADVANCEMENT IN NUNAVUT S U P P O R T I N G F O O D S E C U R I T Y I N N O R T H E R N C A N A D A T H R O U G H C O M M U N I T Y - B A S E D G R E E N H O U S E I N F R A S T R U C T U R E D E V E L O P M E N T J A D E L T A L S H A R I K A K H A N A M E L I E F A B I A N A L E S S A N D R A C I C C I GAIN: GREENHOUSE ADVANCEMENT IN NUNAVUT A B S T R A C T The right to adequate food is enshrined in international law as a human right, and yet, 2 billion people around the world suffer from food insecurity. While food insecurity is most prevalent in low-income countries, it is still prominent in high-income countries like Canada. In Nunavut, a territory in the Arctic part of Canada where 85.9% of the population is Indigenous, more than 57% of the population is food insecure. Canada’s north disproportionately suffers from food insecurity, in fact, Nunavut’s level of food insecurity is three times more than the national average of 17.7%. There are many interconnected factors that contribute to food insecurity in Northern Canada that go beyond high levels of poverty and socioeconomic gaps including its geographical isolation, climate change, high costs of importing nutritious food, as well as the long-lasting effects of colonial policies on Indigenous peoples’ way of life. Research shows that food insecurity leads to poorer mental and physical health outcomes and poses challenges for economic and social development, leading to greater social exclusion. Our project, GAIN: Greenhouse Advancement in Nunavut, aims to reduce food insecurity in Nunavut through a community- driven business model that develops sustainable greenhouse infrastructure with Indigenous communities at the helm to provide greater access to affordable, healthy and nutritious foods that can be integrated into Indigenous dietary food culture. Our project aims to not only reduce food insecurity, but also to invest in the communities in Nunavut with the vision of empowering them to be self-sufficient and to foster social inclusion. M E E T T H E T E A M Jad El Tal is a Lebanese-Canadian completing his Master of Public Policy and Master of Global Affairs as part of a dual-degree program between SciencesPo-Paris and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, respectively. His main passion is education policy and making the public sector more efficient and user-friendly. More recently, he was a part of the Ontario Legislative Internship Programme (OLIP) where he worked as a non-partisan Legislative Intern for Members of Provincial Parliament, both in the government and in the opposition. He hopes to pursue a career in conflict resolution through strengthening and advancing public education systems in post-conflict states, while also staying politically involved in Canada. Sharika Khan is completing her Master of Public Policy and Master of Global Affairs as part of a dual-degree program between SciencesPo-Paris and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. She has been involved in research positions with the G7 Research Group, the G20 Research Group, and the Canadian Centre for the Responsibility to Protect. Sharika currently works as an Intern with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as part of the IOM Development Fund under the Department of Migration Management. Amelie Fabian is completing her Master of Public Policy and Master of Global Affairs as part of a dual-degree program between the School of Public Affairs at SciencesPo-Paris and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. Her area of focus is in politics and development. She is passionate about reducing inequalities by mobilizing all stakeholders particularly, the private sector. She is currently interning at the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a Research Assistant in the future of learning and innovation team of the education department. Alessandra Cicci is completing her Master of Public Policy and Mater of Global Affairs as part of a dual-degree program between SciencesPo-Paris and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. Alessandra previously served as Co-Chair of the G20 Research Group based at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and attended various G7 and G20 summits to present research findings to policy experts and members of the media. Previously, Alessandra interned at a public affairs firm and worked in the public sector for the City of Toronto. She is passionate about how governments can craft innovative tech policies to foster sustainable and inclusive economic growth that drive social change. Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...............................................................................................................2 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3 BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................................3 GLOBAL FOOD INSECURITY ...............................................................................................................3 FOOD INSECURITY IN CANADA ...........................................................................................................5 INDIGENOUS HISTORY ........................................................................................................................8 CURRENT COMMITMENTS ..................................................................................................................9 THE PROBLEM ............................................................................................................................ 10 HIGH COST ...................................................................................................................................... 10 CULTURAL ACCEPTABILITY ............................................................................................................. 12 LOW QUALITY .................................................................................................................................. 13 SOLUTION: GREENHOUSE ADVANCEMENT IN NUNAVUT (GAIN) ............................. 13 STEP 1: ESTABLISH GOVERNANCE MODEL ...................................................................................... 14 STEP 2: PILOT PROJECT .................................................................................................................. 15 STEP 3: OPEN FOR BUSINESS! ........................................................................................................ 15 STEP 4: INCREASE UPTAKE THROUGH AN AWARENESS PROGRAM .................................................. 16 FEASIBILITY ................................................................................................................................ 18 SUSTAINABLE GREENHOUSE INFRASTRUCTURE ............................................................ 18 SHAPE AND ORIENTATION OF THE GREENHOUSE ............................................................................. 18 I. PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) MODULE OPTIONS (SOLAR PANELS) .................................................. 19 II. OTHER MATERIALS TO CONSIDER ....................................................................................... 20 BUDGET ....................................................................................................................................... 21 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................. 24 1 Executive Summary The common practice of grocery shopping for people in Nunavut, a territory in northern Canada, is dreadfully expensive. A bag of fruits and vegetables could easily cost someone over $100, whereas that same bag would be 3-4 times cheaper in southern Canada. Prices are especially exorbitant in Nunavut which has contributed to high levels of food insecurity – 57.0% of the population in Nunavut is food insecure, more than three times the Canadian national average of 17.7%. In a territory where 85.9% of the population is Indigenous, food insecurity is a significant issue that blocks social inclusion of these marginalized groups. Due to socioeconomic gaps amongst Indigenous peoples and historical colonial practices of oppression, assimilation, and discrimination, Indigenous communities disproportionately face social exclusion, including food insecurity. There are three main issues at the core of the food insecurity crisis in Nunavut: high cost of groceries, lack of cultural integration with country foods, and low quality of foods. GAIN (Greenhouse Advancement in Nunavut) is a robust policy that seeks to decrease the rate of food insecurity in Nunavut to the national average by building sustainable greenhouses in the territory that operate under an innovative community driven business model year-round, which would significantly reduce the cost of and increase access to the uptake of nutritious and fresh produce. This policy aims to not only reduce food insecurity in Nunavut, but to also empower Indigenous communities in Nunavut and foster social inclusion at the community level. By establishing a governance model whereby the Government of Nunavut is primarily responsible for building the greenhouse infrastructure and overseeing the implementation