Written by Jenny Koo

As the COVID-19 pandemic has outlined, food supply chains can be extremely fragile. The pandemic, especially, has shown how important having a local food source is to the food security of remote communities. According to the First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study, 48% of First Nations households are food insecure. Access to fresh, nutritious, and culturally appropriate foods can be a challenge for many First Nations communities both due to economic reasons and remote locations. 

What is the N-EAT Project?

The Nutrition through Engagement and Agricultural Technologies (N-EAT) project works to support creating sustainable food systems in partnership and full collaboration with First Nations communities. The project works together with First Nations communities to come up with and implement solutions for food security by offering organizational and logistical support, assisting with mobilizing financial resources, and building local capacity. Engaging children and youth in these endeavours is an important element.

Sarah Pickering is the Co-Founder and Project Coordinator of the N-EAT project. Pickering came to this project through her volunteer work at the British Columbia Council for International Cooperation (BCCIC) which hosted an event in collaboration with SFU called, DevLab. This was a two-day symposium where groups of people came together to create solutions relevant to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It was here where a group she was involved in came up with an idea for a circular economy style model that addresses food, water, and energy security needs. The purpose was to build a sustainable local food system with remote communities that don’t have reliable access to nutritious foods.

Before working with the Pacific Water Research Centre (PWRC), Pickering obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Earth and Ocean Sciences from the University of Victoria. She also has an extensive working background in proposal writing, logistics, and organizational management coupled with a passion for finding sustainable solutions to increase communities’ resilience and combat climate change. Pickering has been with the PWRC since 2018 and continues to work on the N-EAT project.

What is N-EAT working on?

Currently, the project has an existing partnership with the Kitasoo/ Xai’xais First Nation in Klemtu, BC and is in conversation with four other First Nations communities, and potential partners, in Alberta and British Columbia. 

The N-EAT project is constantly working with new innovative technology to improve food sovereignty in remote communities. For example, in Klemtu, the project is facilitating the procurement of a Growcer unit, which is a shipping container that is climate controlled and can grow food all year round in a hydroponic system. 

In 2020, the project secured SSHRC funding and the N-EAT team was able to engage a Master’s student to do a project evaluation and identify ways to improve on their work in Klemtu and make more informed decisions when working with other First Nations communities. The funding is also helping support staff at the Klemtu Community Garden and allows the project to continue working with an experienced Ethnobotanist with years of experience in the Kitasoo and Xai’xais territories.

Greater Impacts

The project’s main objective is to build food security by working and collaborating with remote communities but, in practice, it does more than that. The project works closely with the local school in Klemtu, engages with volunteers, the local grocery store and tourism lodge, and organizes community engagement events that help to build capacity around growing food and nutrition education. The success of this project relies heavily on the hard work of the Klemtu Community Garden Coordinator, other Kitasoo Band staff members, and so many awesome community members whose support has made such a positive impact on this work. 

The project works with the community to incorporate traditional food harvesting practices as well as creates an opportunity and space where intergenerational knowledge transfers can happen. Pickering also notes that working in the community garden “gives people a sense of pride that they are taking care of their community in a way that is healthy” and “people feel ownership over the food that they’re able to provide for their communities”.

How do you keep up to date?

To keep up to date with the N-EAT project, connect with them on their Facebook and Instagram accounts. If you want to learn more about other research initiatives with the Pacific Water Research Centre, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

We respectfully acknowledge that the PWRC operates on the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

Klemtu Community Gardening Guide