Identifying impacts of non-climatic factors on food security of Indigenous Peoples in the pan-Arctic region

Abstract

This thesis explores the vulnerability of Arctic Indigenous food systems to food insecurity resulting from the combined impacts of climatic and non-climatic stressors. While climate change poses significant threats to traditional food practices and access, this study emphasizes the importance of understanding how non-climatic factors such as institutional barriers, economic constraints, and health disparities intersect with environmental change to shape food security. Guided by two objectives, the study aims to 1) identify the impacts of climatic and non-climatic factors that shape the food security of Indigenous Peoples in the pan-Arctic region and 2) identify the adaptive capacities of Indigenous communities to food insecurity in the pan-Arctic region. A systematic literature review of 170 peer-reviewed articles from four major databases (Web of Science, Scopus, AGRICOLA, and CAB Direct) was conducted. The study applied qualitative content analysis to identify the non-climatic factors and their impacts on the four dimensions of food security: availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability alongside descriptive and chi-square statistics to analyze the trend and patterns of identified impacts across the pan-Arctic region. The findings reveal that there is a notable lack of community-level research in Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Seven dominant themes of non-climatic factors: economic, institutional, socio-cultural/behavioral, health, infrastructural, technological, and other were identified. The interactions with non-climatic factors were found to exacerbate vulnerabilities caused by climate-change impacts. Additionally, the thesis examines five broad categories of adaptive strategies including food sharing, livelihood diversification, and migration. By synthesizing current knowledge and identifying research gaps, this thesis recommends policy implications such as prioritizing Indigenous participation in decision-making, supporting Indigenous knowledge systems, and preventing maladaptation. These policy efforts are aimed at building equitable, culturally grounded, and resilient Arctic food systems.