Abstract: Much scholarship has stressed the need for conservation initiatives to consider local livelihood realities in order to effectively manage marine ecosystems; however, the gendered implications of marine conservation often remain overlooked. This paper takes a feminist political ecology approach to examine intersectional resistance to conservation policies in one of Indonesia’s largest and most populous marine protected areas (MPAs), Wakatobi National Park. We show that current Park policies and management fail to account for the livelihoods and culture of local ethnic minority fishers. In response, and along lines of gender, ethnicity, and class, ethnic minority fishers resist conservation measures in novel ways. Justified by their moral economy, these include continuing to access natural resources surreptitiously, allying with each other, and critiquing authorities. While many fisherwomen face additional barriers due to local cultural gender norms, they resist by pursuing livelihood activities against their husband’s wishes. A key mechanism for this gendered resistance is increased mobility for women, achieved through their clever use of new infrastructure. Concurrently, Park authorities work to regain control through ‘creative enforcement’ by accepting bribes, intimidating locals, and wasting fishers’ time – techniques that further expose class, ethnic, and gendered frictions. Overall, we find that MPA residents use resources differently across intersectional lines and reveal the extent to which everyday resistance can undermine conservation efforts if regulations ignore local needs. We thus stress the need for an intersectional and multi-scalar approach that is contextualized within local communities and wider infrastructures to improve marine conservation research and policy.
As the Project Coordinator for the community component of the most recent regional Nunavimmiut health survey called Qanuilirpitaa? (How are we now?), I am pleased to share that the results of the community component are now published. This research is being used by the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services to identify priorities for a new strategic regional health plan.
In this report, we develop our IQI model, which is built on the concepts of ilusirsusiarniq (having a strong, healthy and capable body), qanuinngisiarniq (feeling of being comfortable, content and without worries or pain) and inuuqatigiitsianiq (harmonious relations among people who share a place). We then outline eight determinants of health in the Nunavimmiut context: community, family, identity, food, land, knowledge, economy and services.
Fletcher, C., Riva, M., Lyonnais, M.-C., Saunders, I., Baron, A., Lynch, M., Baron, M. (2021). Definition of an Inuit cultural model and social determinants of health for Nunavik. Community Component. Nunavik Inuit Health Survey 2017 Qanuilirpitaa? Quebec: Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services (NRBHSS) and Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ).
Recently published in the AAG Review of Books is my review of A Recipe for Gentrification, edited by Alison Hope Alkon, Yuki Kato and Joshua Sbicca. The full review can be accessed online here.
Conceptualisation and Operationalisation of a Holistic Indicator of Health for Older Inuit: Results of a Sequential Mixed‑Methods Project
Abstract: Elder Inuit define health as holistic and multifaceted, which contrasts with health-related research where single factor indicators are usually used to measure health in an Inuit con-text. As the number of Inuit elders is growing, indicators derived from an Inuit definition of health are important if health systems are to be inclusive of the realities of Indigenous Peoples and culture. This study explored and operationalised a model of Inuit health in aging that draws from physical, emotional, spiritual, and interpersonal components identified as salient by participants in this research. Qualitative data gathered through two workshops with 21 participants were analysed to identify key dimensions of health from an Inuit perspective. Quantitative data were retrieved from Statistics Canada Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS; 2006) with a weighted sample of 4450 Inuit aged ≥ 50 years residing across Inuit Nunangat. Using measures corresponding to the dimensions identified previously, Latent Class Analyses were applied to group survey participants into health pro-files to create a holistic indicator of health. Multinomial regressions were conducted with related health and social measures to assess the concurrent validity of the indicator. Health was conceptualised along eight themes: general health balance, mental health, spirituality, not experiencing many activity limitations, being loved and having positive relationships, speaking Inuktitut, and being free of addiction. The holistic indicator grouped participants into three health profiles: (1) good health for most variables; (2) very good perceived and physical health, but poor mental health; and (3) poor health for most variables. Using mixed methods to bridge the concept of health defined in qualitative workshops with quantitative health indicators can contribute to the definition and description of a culturally relevant and sociologically complex understanding of healthy aging in an Inuit context.
Keywords: Cultural models of health, Inuit, mixed-methods, holistic indicator of health, aging
Between 2017-2019, I worked as the Project Coordinator for the community component of the most recent regional Nunavimmiut health survey called Qanuilirpitaa? (How are we now?). I am pleased to share that the results are now published on the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services website.
Reports are available on the following themes: mental health and wellness; sociocultural determinants of health and wellness; substance use; iron deficiency and anemia; oral health; respiratory health; unintentional injuries; housing and drinking water; and sociodemographic characteristics.
Researchers from the community component team will also be presenting at this year’s virtual Arctic Change conference, next week! You can view the program here. Look for our paper presentation:
Fletcher, C., Riva, M., Lyonnais, M.C., Saunders, I., Baron, A.,Lynch, M.and Baron, M. December 2020. Development of the “IQI” Inuit health model and community-level social determinants of health in Nunavik, Health, Well-Being and the Social Determinants of Health in the North.Arctic Change, Virtual Conference.
Please see below call for papers. This virtual paper session will be part of the 2021 AAG Annual Meeting, and is sponsored by the Geographies of Food and Agriculture Specialty Group. Registration is open online here.
Title: Fresh thoughts on stale issues: youth intersections with critical geographies of food
Geographers and other social scientists have been increasingly investigating the ways in which food practices both stimulate and are influenced by political, social, and ecological life (Bell and Valentine 1997; Guthman 2008; Nestle 2013). While critical food scholarship has revealed some intersectional dynamics underpinning struggles over resources, culture and identity in relation to food, relatively little has examined generational rifts.
The structural forces behind our food systems have yielded generational disparities across the globe (Hadley et al. 2009). Many young people can no longer afford to farm or fish (White 2015). Some are engaging less in traditional or indigenous foodways, and/or develop new food consumption patterns influenced by globalization and our capitalist food regime (Pingali 2004; Panelli and Tipa 2009; Bugge 2011; Best 2014).
At the same time, youth accumulate and consume differently than previous generations once did as their aspirations and motivations in many cases are shifting away from those of their parents (Edwards and Mercer 2007; Collins and Hitchings 2012; Diprose et al. 2019). Youth are widely considered both ‘learners’ and ‘makers’ of culture who reproduce and transform the fabric of society (Berckmoes and White 2014). Additionally, they are increasingly recognized as effective political agents (Jeffrey 2011; Delgado 2015). With food practices at the heart of our social and cultural identities, the ways in which young people engage in food production, consumption, and activism present important implications relating to processes of social and ecological transformation.
Call for Submissions
This virtual paper session will explore diverse youth experiences with food and the broader applications of such work for critical food geographies. This session aims to engage multidisciplinary research in order to bridge thematic and geographic divides within the literature. Submissions are welcome in relation to the following (and other) thematic streams in ‘Global South’ and/or ‘North’ contexts:
1. Young people and food movements – Food justice – Food sovereignty – Activism
2. Food and youth culture and identity – Intersectionality – New and ‘traditional’ foodways – Expressions of citizenship and belonging
3. Young people in agriculture, hunting, gathering, or fishing – Youth motivations and aspirations – Intergenerational knowledge – Rural-urban dynamics
4. Youth/nutrition transitions – Generational changes in tastes and preferences – Food access and health implications – Globalization and food
Contributions are welcomed from youth, students, community organizers, practitioners, activists and researchers. Submissions are encouraged from individuals who identify as LGBTQI+, indigenous, people of color, people with disabilities, and women. Interested participants should submit an abstract (max 250 words) by October 30th to melody.lynch [at] mcgill.ca.
Works cited:
Bell, D. J. and Valentine, G. (1997). Consuming geographies: We are where we eat. Psychology Press.
Berckmoes, L. H. and White, B. (2016). Youth, farming, and precarity in rural Burundi. In: Huijsmans, R. (Ed.) Generationing Development (pp. 291-312). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Best, A. L. (2014). Youth consumers and the fast-food market: The emotional landscape of micro-encounters. Food, Culture & Society, 17(2), 283-300.
Bugge, A. B. (2011). Lovin’it? A study of youth and the culture of fast food. Food, Culture & Society, 14(1), 71-89.
Collins, R. and Hitchings, R. (2012). A tale of two teens: disciplinary boundaries and geographical opportunities in youth consumption and sustainability research. Area, 44(2), 193-199.
Diprose, K., Valentine, G., Vanderbeck, R. M., Liu, C. and McQuaid, K. (2019). Building common cause towards sustainable consumption: A cross-generational perspective. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, 2(2), 203-228.
Delgado, M. (2015). Youth and food justice. In: M. Delgado (Ed.) Community practice and urban youth: Social justice service-learning and civic engagement (pp. 154-164). Routledge.
Edwards, F. and Mercer, D. (2007). Gleaning from Gluttony: an Australian youth subculture confronts the ethics of waste. Australian Geographer, 38(3), 279-296.
Guthman, J. (2008). Neoliberalism and the making of food politics in California. Geoforum, 39(3), 1171-1183.
Hadley, C., Belachew, T., Lindstrom, D., & Tessema, F. (2009). The forgotten population? Youth, food insecurity, and rising prices: implications for the global food crisis. NAPA bulletin, 32(1), 77-91.
Jeffrey, C. (2012) Geographies of children and youth III: Alchemists of revolution? Progress in Human Geography, 37(1), 145-152.
Nestle, M. (2013). Food politics: How the food industry influences nutrition and health (Vol. 3). Univ of California Press.
Panelli, R. and Tipa, G. (2009). Beyond foodscapes: Considering geographies of indigenous well-being. Health & Place, 15(2), 455-465.
Pingali, P. (2004). Westernization of Asian diets and the transformation of food systems: implications for research and policy. ESA Working Paper 04-17, Food and Agriculture Organization, 1-18.
White, B. (2015). Generational dynamics in agriculture: reflections on rural youth and farming futures. Cahiers Agricultures, 24, 330-334.
Join my colleagues Peter Garber, Mélie Monnerat, Patrick Slack, and myself at our panel on commodities, contentions, and contradictions in Southeast Asian Agriculture on October 17th. This panel will be part of the 2020 annual meeting of the New England Conference of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS), hosted online by the University of Vermont.
Title: Marginality, Materiality and Maneuverability: Commodities, Contentions, and Contradictions in Southeast Asian Agriculture
Organizer: Melody Lynch, McGill University; Chair: Patrick Slack, McGill University
Abstract: Contemporary agriculture in Southeast Asia is largely shaped by contentions and contradictions in both policy and practice. This panel unpacks some of the social, economic, environmental and political tensions in rural and urban farming in the region. We do this through themes of marginality, materiality, and maneuverability.
From rural-to-urban migrants cultivating crops on abandoned city lots, to ethnic minority farmers working in vast rural landscapes, this panel muses on meanings of marginality in diverse Southeast Asian agricultural settings. With land representing many facets of marginality for certain populations, we discuss the implications of land rights and access in different contexts. We draw upon the concept of materiality to explore the complex web of entanglements that relate plants, animals, and humans with the systems and institutions that hope to reform them in present-day agriculture. Governance schemes, global economic processes and environmental factors seemingly dictate who is able to farm, what, where, and under which conditions. This panel explores the ways in which rural and urban farmers creatively maneuver the natural, built, socio-economic, and political landscapes in order to farm on their own terms. These frictions materialize in various forms; farmers plant gardens on city sidewalks, transition to cash-crops, navigate new precarious markets, or create new relationships with old animal allies.
The contentions that characterize agricultural production yield many contradictions. In cities, people increasingly attempt to meet their food demands by farming within city limits, while urbanization consumes surrounding agricultural lands. In upland Vietnam, ethnic minority farmers at the margins of the state are essential for the cultivation of spices in the iconic breakfast soup phở, yet contentious and contradicting policies hinder the cultivation of them. Beyond spice cultivation, many of these ethnic minority farmers also rely on water buffalo for working in their rice fields, although extreme weather events and government programs are rapidly disentangling this human-animal relationship.
Follow us as we trace cinnamon commodity chains, peek into the production of black cardamom, contemplate farming in its urban context, and investigate the changing relationships between humans and domesticated animals. The curious contentions and contradictions we uncover through themes of marginality, materiality, and maneuverability reveal important insights into the realm of Southeast Asian agriculture today.
As part of the Food Justice Scholar-Activist/Activist-Scholar (FJSAAS) community of practice, colleagues Robin Lovell, Sahil Patni, Angelika Winner and I set out to answer the question: can small-scale regenerative agriculture feed the world? We conducted a literature review of academic articles published from 2007 to present and created an annotated bibliography for Soul Fire Farm, a black, indigenous, and people of colour-centered community farm in upstate New York. Here is a brief summary of what we found:
A review of the literature written between 2007 and 2020 indicates that small-scale regenerative agriculture can indeed feed the world, but would require economic, dietary, policy, and cultural shifts. In terms of yields, smallholder farming already accounts for well over half of the world’s food supply. Additionally, while conventional (industrial) forms of agriculture have previously been thought to be more efficient, current research has found that organic production can have greater yields in various contexts. Local and organic farming can also be more resilient to shocks and a changing climate, which can support a more reliable food supply over time. However, while it is technically possible to continue to produce the calories needed for a growing global population through small-scale regenerative agriculture, there are social, economic, and political barriers that need to be addressed. Small-scale organic farming alone can only provide enough calories with a dietary shift away from animal products such as meat and dairy, and if inequities in food distribution can be eliminated. The reduction of food waste also needs to be prioritized. Furthermore, in many places around the world, local and organic food is often more expensive and therefore only accessible to privileged groups. As such, in order for alternative agriculture to feed the world, we need to address underlying inequalities, such as class, gender, race, and educational disparities. Additionally, organic forms of agriculture tend to be labor-intensive. This is a major concern when scaling up alternative food production in a just way, given that many organic farms depend on cheap or voluntary labor. It is also argued that producer and consumer networks must be strengthened in order for small-scale regenerative agriculture to successfully reach all groups of people over the short and long terms. Finally, in order to feed the world, alternative agricultural initiatives need to be scaled up or massified through social organization and mobilization of participating producers and consumers, the horizontal dialog of knowledge, and favorable public policies. Overall, based on this review, it is arguable that the potential of small-scale regenerative agriculture to feed the world is promising. This is particularly so when considering the additional benefits that this type of food production can provide.
For more information about the FJSAAS community of practice, visit our website.
For more information about Soul Fire Farm, visit their website, or check out their book, Farming While Black.
This semester, I am co-teaching a course entitled ‘Geographic Thought and Practice’ with Professor Sarah Turner in the Department of Geography at McGill University. This seminar-style course is meant to prepare undergraduate Honours students for their thesis research.
Summary
This course has two principal objectives. The first is to develop a critical perspective on the nature and practice of geography. We trace the history of the discipline and consider different paradigms and theoretical approaches that have been influential in its development. These include but are not limited to humanist, marxist, postcolonial, feminist and queer geographies, as well as critical race theory and political ecology. I am teaching this first section on geographic thought.
The second course objective is to focus on the process of conducting geographical research in preparation for Honours thesis research. We explore the practical and conceptual aspects of project design, examine a range of methods, and debate ethical and reflective concerns. This second section is taught by Professor Sarah Turner.
In Cairns, Australia, my colleague Ella Myette and I recently presented a new project we are working on led by Professor Mylene Riva entitled Mining Activities, Health, and Well-being in Indigenous Communities at the 3rd Annual MinErAL Network Meeting in Cairns, Australia. This research will focus on defining and including indigenous perspectives of health and well-being into impact assessment processes in Canada, Sweden, and Australia.
Our presentation and those of other MinErAL Network members are available online here.
