Poplar River First Nation Food Security Needs Assessment

Picture
Poplar River First Nation (PRFN), a remote First Nation in Manitoba, relies heavily on food deliveries over winter roads and on planes. Limitations to food access are an important food security issue for many remote communities – an issue that concerns PRFN.
  • What if the winter road is not frozen enough for food to be transported?
  • What if bad weather prevents food deliveries by plane?

To answer these and other questions, PRFN is taking steps to investigate ways to increase their food security. The first step in their process was to conduct a Food Security Needs Assessment that identified what PRFN needs to increase its food security. For example, the Needs Assessment identified that food security will increase at PRFN by relying more on traditional foods and by increasing the amount of food that is grown locally.

With the generous support of Heifer International Canada, CIER worked with PRFN to conduct their needs assessment.  The needs assessment results were used to create a working paper that described a project to increase PRFN’s food security. The project was further developed and funded and is currently underway at PRFN.  The project goals were to:
  • Carry out a ‘growing local foods’ survey of PRFN households and organisations to create community awareness of the benefits of local food self-sufficiency, identify skilled and  interested community members willing to contribute to local food production at PRFN, and assess what  types of foods and food production that PRFN wanted to focus on. 
  • Carry out practical training such as composting and gardening methods for community members who will be able to pass this knowledge on to others.
  • Carry out home-garden site assessments for people who want to start back-yard gardens.  

The project was funded by Northern Healthy Foods Initiative (NHFI), with additional support from Heifer Canada and assistance provided by CIER.