ABOUT NIRIQATIGINNGA
ENHANCING NORTHERN INDIGENOUS FOOD SYSTEMS THROUGH ENTREPRENEURSHIP
About the Program
Connecting Communities
GROWING ENTREPRENEURS
Niriqatiginnga is a grassroots, community-driven non-profit organization building on more than a decade of participatory research.
As a community program, nurturing the skills, knowledge, and networks of our future leaders, this unique, pilot program contributes beyond the success of its participants. Niriqatiginnga also lays the foundation for sustainable and impactful business and entrepreneurship programming across the Kivalliq Region and Northern Manitoba.
Niriqatiginnga means "come eat with me" in Inuktitut.
As a locally and regionally-focused community economic development project, Niriqatiginnga works to support and increase the participation of northern Indigenous communities and businesses in Manitoba and northern food sector opportunities.
In addition to incubating food sector skills development, we’re planning and designing for future, food production, an online marketplace and social entrepreneurship programming. We want this program to enable Indigenous Peoples and Northerners to make their own decisions with respect to their food systems through creative food sector entrepreneurship.
Enhancing partnerships and exploring collaborative sector opportunities is critical to the success of this project. The project is also designed to align with goals from the Arctic and Northern Strategy Framework. As an entrepreneurship program working across sectors, Niriqatiginnga focuses on business development, capacity building and market expansion activities to facilitate collaboration with established northern and southern food systems.
In December 2023, Niriqatiginnga was approved for funding by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership – Indigenous Agriculture and Food Systems program.
Enhancing Northern Food Systems
Empowering a new generation of Indigenous Food Entrepreneurs
Niriqatiginnga aims to incubate a network of northern, urban and newly-urban Indigenous artists, food sector entrepreneurs, researchers and food industry stakeholders.
One of our key goals will be to better understand the challenges of northern food insecurity and supply chains. Our project is keen to support developing sector-wide relationships, cross-sector collaborations and partnerships for capacity building, skills development and training that contribute to reducing food insecurity across northern communities.
Our goal is also to support engagement and relationship development activities. This includes established and aspiring Indigenous food sector entrepreneurs, industry, research institutions, academia, government, communities and businesses. In addition to exploring new and future research projects, career development and training initiatives, ongoing policy and participatory research will explore cluster-based and co-developed mechanisms to help identify gaps in existing policies and programs.
Relationship Development and Engagement
Initial consultations showed a strong need to develop capacity for participatory, community-led and data-driven approaches where primary stakeholders, Northern and Indigenous communities, youth and Elders are actively involved in addressing and enhancing northern food systems.
Arts and Community-Based Participatory Entrepreneurship for Northern Food Security
Niriqatiginnga is an emergent and experiential arts and community-based participatory research program proudly administered by Niriqatiginnga. After two years of pilot programming, Niriqatiginnga, which means “Come Eat With Me” in Inuktitut, was established as a non-profit organization in February 2024.
The program is based in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut; Melgund Township, Northwestern Ontario; Winnipeg and Headingley, Manitoba.
From the design and development of technology and e-commerce marketplace, to land-based agriculture and entrepreneurship skills training, Niriqatiginnga aims to work across sectors and supply chains to address issues of northern food (in)security.
The project emphasizes early career exposure and exploration, skills development and training for aspiring Inuit, First Nations and Metis social and food sector entrepreneurs.
Building on Prior Research
Elements of this program have been piloted and tested over the last three years, supported by the US National Science Foundation, the ArcticNet Network Centre of Excellence, the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse, Global Dignity Canada, Chocolatier Constance Popp, Live It Earth and the Manitoba Arts Council’s Indigenous 360 Program.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Arctic Buying Company, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design Arts Entrepreneurship Program, the Labovitz School of Business and Economics at the University of Minnesota Duluth, the University of the Arctic and the Kivalliq Chamber of Commerce.
Niriqatiginnga as a Project Hub
As a participatory entrepreneurship research and capacity building project, Niriqatiginnga facilitates creating conditions needed for long-term, sustainable funding, research investment and resources to support urban and rural post-secondary student and collaboration with community‑based projects.
Designing Niriqatiginnga as a Living Lab for Indigenous Food Entrepreneurship
The Niriqatiginnga: Indigenous Food Entrepreneurship Lab pilot project will serve as a professional Indigenous-led marketplace that incubates creative and food sector entrepreneurship training.
As an experimental, early career exposure entrepreneurship program, it encompasses all aspects of food sales and services, from product research and development to the identification, procurement, and preparation of Indigenous foods.
Based in Winnipeg and Headingley, Manitoba Niriqatiginnga works as a central hub for establishing and enhancing northern Indigenous food systems. It focuses on reintegrating Indigenous-focused foods and Nutrition North Canada-aligned social programming with communities throughout Kivalliq Nunavut and Northern Manitoba.
Technology-Driven Solutions for Northern Food Security
Niriqatiginnga (Come Eat With Me) is developing an online marketplace for northern foods, and products, skills and services.
It is expected, as a creative, digital entrepreneurship and technology innovation initiative, this project will generate additional insights and knowledge on the impacts of Nutrition North Canada (NNC) retail subsidies and inform ongoing improvements that support equitable access to store-bought food.
Creative and Food Sector Entrepreneurship
Addressing Northern Food Insecurity
Advancing Economic Reconciliation
Creative and Food Sector Entrepreneurship
We believe in a “skills-first” strategy that prioritizes an individual’s skills and competencies over their degrees, job histories and titles.
Empowering Indigenous Food Sector Entrepreneurship: Providing internships and mentorship to emerging food sector entrepreneurs, the project will equip learners with essential skills for agri-food, food production, and related fields. This outcome contributes to early-career exposure, advancing economic reconciliation, and fostering long-term and self-reliant individual and community well-being.
Incubating community economic development: Niriqatiginnga works to strengthen skills and talent development for workers and businesses, regional economic planning and investment attraction, among other initiatives, to create the sustainable jobs of the future.
Addressing Northern Food Insecurity
There is a need for social programming and sectoral inclusion, including Nutrition North Canada program communities, consumers and suppliers. These social programming components are needed to advance sectoral inclusion, and to increase capacity and capability for participation in early planning and development of food systems research.
Niriqatiginnga works in support of Indigenous peoples’ food security, sovereignty and sustainability through access to funding and other program measures. This includes promoting food-focused research to better understand the intersection of Indigenous peoples’ food security, sovereignty and sustainability; and promoting trade in Indigenous peoples’ food products and removal of barriers to that trade.
The project aims to drive more equitable and sustainable northern food supply chains and access to healthy foods. This outcome will see improved community capacity and collaboration for reliable, verifiable and data-driven, evidence-based information to increase advocacy for policy changes at the local, regional, and national levels.
Advancing Economic Reconciliation
As a developmental, experimental pilot project, Niriqatiginnga aims for impacts across key agriculture and agri-food sectors, particularly local food production, food processing, value-added production and new product creation. It works to build relationships with harvesters, food processors, producers, and distributors, while exploring ways to streamline getting those products into the community.
The program supports the Framework to Build a Green Prairie Economy. It is grounded in respect for the rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of the Prairies to set their own economic priorities and pursue their visions for economic prosperity.
Cross-cultural and traditional knowledge exchange, similar to a ‘train the trainer’ approach is intended to support advancing economic reconciliation through food-sector skills development, entrepreneurial capacity building, early career exposure and opportunities and growth within these sectors.