National competition recognizes Global Health student’s work on Indigenous food insecurity
The rate of food insecurity – defined by a lack of access to adequate food due to limited money or other resources – is three times greater in Canada’s Northern Indigenous communities than the average Canadian household. It’s an issue that Ankita Datar has been investigating. Recently, the Global Health student had the opportunity to present her findings and recommended solutions to federal Deputy Ministers in the Government of Canada’s National Student Paper Competition on the Future of Public Service.
There are multiple reasons for this global health problem, from job insecurity to climate change affecting access to traditional foods,” explains Datar, whose paper targets Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger).
My aim was to tackle food insecurity and poor health outcomes in Northern Canada by promoting indigenous food systems and sustainable agriculture,” she says.
Datar’s recommendations involve a combination of initiatives at the federal, provincial and community-based levels, including improving current policies to revive traditional food systems and subsidizing Indigenous practices to increase interest in learning traditions relating to wild foods and hunting. Other recommendations include the development of greenhouses, using government and NGO funding to enable local communities to tend to greenhouses while providing a beneficial learning opportunity for younger generations to contribute to community health.
It’s vital for programs to integrate Indigenous youth into the framework,” explains Datar, who initially submitted work on this topic through an essay competition organized by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC). She was then selected as one of the top five finalists and asked to present her work in a 10-minute presentation to a panel of Deputy Ministers and associate Deputy Ministers from across Canada. The presentation was followed by a 10-minute question and answer period from the panel.
I hope this type of work encourages change and innovation within current programming/policies to improve on-ground realities,” Datar says. Moving forward, she’s looking to pursue more work within this field through program and policy evaluations and continue advocating for Indigenous rights within Canada.
I want to work within this field in international settings and support ongoing efforts to improve the climate resilience of the most vulnerable,” she says.
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