ABOUT
ENHANCING NORTHERN INDIGENOUS FOOD SYSTEMS THROUGH ARTS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
About the 2023-2024 Pilot Program
Connecting Communities
This exciting program began as a grassroots, community-driven pilot program building on more than a decade of participatory research.
As a community-driven program, nurturing the skills, knowledge, and networks of our future leaders, this unique, pilot project contributed beyond the success of its participants. The program laid the foundation for sustainable and impactful business and entrepreneurship programming across the Minnesota, Manitoba and Nunavut communities.
Niriqatiginnga means "come eat with me" in Inuktitut.
As a locally and regionally-focused community economic development project, t this pilot program worked to explore pathways 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, the project aimed to plan and co-design for future research, food production, an even prototyping an online marketplace for social entrepreneurship programming. The goal was to see this program enable Indigenous Peoples and Northerners to better make their own decisions with respect to their food systems through creative food sector entrepreneurship.
In December 2023, the project was approved for funding by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership – Indigenous Agriculture and Food Systems program. In February 2024, it became a non-profit organization. Project activities were successfully completed in June of 2024 with a final presentation during the 2024 Arctic Congress in Bodø, Norway.
Enhancing Northern Food Systems
Empowering a new generation of Indigenous Food Entrepreneurs
This exciting and experimental program aimed to incubate a network of northern, urban and newly-urban Indigenous artists, food sector entrepreneurs, researchers and food industry stakeholders.
One of its key goals was to better understand the challenges of northern food insecurity and supply chains. There exists a growing need 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.
Another goal was also to support engagement and relationship development activities. This included 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 preliminary participatory research explored 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 was an emergent and experiential arts and community-based participatory research program in 2023 and 2024. 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 worked across, Nunavut, Northwestern Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba.
From the design and development of technology and e-commerce marketplace, to land-based agriculture and entrepreneurship skills training, the program team aimed to work across sectors and supply chains to address issues of northern food (in)security.
The project emphasized 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 were piloted and tested over the last three years, supported by the US National Science Foundation, the ArcticNet Network Centre of Excellence, LembasWorks, the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse, Global Dignity Canada, Live It Earth, the Arctic Buying Company and the Manitoba Arts Council’s Indigenous 360 Program.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of 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.
Niriqatiginnga as a Project Hub
As a participatory entrepreneurship research and capacity building project, Niriqatiginnga facilitated 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 a Living Lab for Indigenous Food Entrepreneurship
The one year pilot program served to conceptualize a professional Indigenous-led marketplace that incubates creative and food sector entrepreneurship training.
As an experimental, early career exposure entrepreneurship program, it encompassed all aspects of food sales and services, from learning about product research and development to the identification, procurement, and preparation of Indigenous foods.
Technology-Driven Solutions for Northern Food Security
Aspiring Indigenous youth entrepreneurs explored 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 continue to 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 equipped learners with basic knowledge and skills for agri-food, food production, and related fields. This outcome contributed to early-career exposure, advancing economic reconciliation, and fostering long-term and self-reliant individual and community well-being.
Incubating community economic development: The project worked 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 growing 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.
This pilot project worked in support of Indigenous peoples’ food security, sovereignty and sustainability through access to funding and other program measures. This included 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, this pilot project aimed for impacts across key agriculture and agri-food sectors, particularly local food production, food processing, value-added production and new product creation. It worked to establish and build relationships with harvesters, food processors, producers, and distributors, while exploring ways to streamline getting those products into the community.
The program was also intended to align with the Framework to Build a Green Prairie Economy. It was 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 was intended to support advancing economic reconciliation through food-sector skills development, entrepreneurial capacity building, early career exposure and opportunities and growth within these sectors.