About the North
Agriculture in the North The challenges of tough climate, remote location and short season standing in the way of developing sustainable practices and food security are hardly new to northerners west to east. In the Northwest Territories, enthusiastic small-scale personal and community gardeners, commercial greenhouses, and the government’s Growing Forward support program all work together in tandem to effectively develop and expand grow-local food initiatives territory-wide. “Growing food locally in our communities is an important way to reduce our dependence on imported food and also reduce the cost of living in the NWT,” says Minister of Industry,Tourism and Investment David Ramsay.“With our sunshine-filled summer days,the dedication of small and large-scale farmers,and continued support from the agriculture industry,this sector has the potential to really grow and flourish.” The 2012 harvest blessed with consistently warm weather and plentiful sunshine proved fruitful both in expanded development and participation in commnity gardens and overall yields. A bumper crop (40,000 pounds) of potatoes was realized in Norman Wells, situated in the Sahtu region.The Inuvik Community Greenhouse, even farther North, saw an abundant harvest of spinach, chard, squash, zucchini, carrots and tomatoes too.The small community of Lutselk’e was the territory’s topproducer again this year.
Inuvik Community Greenhouse
Seems every day further evidence that undeterminable biological factors along with the melting ice and generally warmer temperatures on land and in the sea could be tossing conventional knowledge of the habits of certain Arctic species by the wayside. For the second summer in a row, Cambridge Bay hunters in the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut sighted narwhal,in greater numbers than ever before, far to the west of their historic migratory routes. Currently a complicated quota system requiring Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) permission in conjunction with the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board (NWMB) determines which communities can access tags and the numbers of narwhal allowed to be harvested.This year, for the first time, a limited number of tags (five) were issued to Cambridge Bay hunters, with another five borrowed from Gjoa Haven's quota — allowing for the successful harvest of 10 narwhal — providing an essential, traditional food source to share among Inuit families and elders in the community. Inuit hope to soon gain greater input and control over the harvest of sea mammals within their territory in what they see as an issue of first-right access to a traditional resource under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.
Fabulous Creations by the Artisans of Nunavik
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November/December 2012
above & beyond
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COURTESY MADS PETER HEI
Migratory puzzle