We understood food production to encompass traditional, artisanal, and industry-scale production of natural resources into food for own, national, and international consumption, whereas food innovation includes new modes of production and consumption patterns, e.g. introduction of hydroponics or aquaponics farming.
A cluster-based approach to food innovation drew together Arctic food producers with governments, Arctic Indigenous communities, universities, research centers, vocational training providers, and industry associations and young people (the next generation). Overall, this project was a strategic response to the numerous and complex challenges in achieving sustainable food systems in the Arctic.
The first phase of the AFIC project was implemented within the agenda of the Arctic Council in 2020-2025.
Planned activities
The project agreed upon is the next step towards implementation of the AFIC. The project is a feasibility study of the AFIC implementation. The feasibility study includes:
- Arctic Food Innovation Report (as special issue of the Report Business Index North / Arctic Business Index) including Canada and Norway
- Mapping of the potential Regional AFIC organizations / hubs in the Arctic Countries
- Seminar/webinar with Regional AFIC organizations
- Survey of the Regional AFIC organizations
- Recommendation note on further steps towards AFIC implementation
The current project is implemented in April-December 2025 in cooperation between the High North Center for Business and Governance, Nord University Business School (Norway) and University of Saskatchewan (Canada).
Publications:
- Natcher, David C., 2020. Arctic Food Production: Opportunities in the North, For the North. Arctic Council – Sustainable Development Working Group, Ottawa.
- Yang, Yang, Jill Hobbs and David C. Natcher, 2020. The Arctic as a Food Producing Region: Consumer Perceptions and Market Segments. Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics (in press).
- Yang, Yang, Jill Hobbs and David C. Natcher, 2020. Assessing Consumer Willingness to Pay for Arctic Food Products. Food Policy https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101846
- Natcher, David C. 2019. The Arctic as a Commercial Food Producing Region. Shared Voices, The UArctic Magazine. UArctic International Secretariat, University of Lapland: 36-37.
- Natcher, David C., 2018. Rethinking Canada’s Northern Food Systems: A Basis for Achieving Zero Hunger. The Circle. World Wildlife Federation, Number 2: 16-17.
- Food Sovereignty of the Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic Zone of Western Siberia: Response to COVID-19 Pandemic” Joint publication of Northern Arctic Federal University, National Medical Research Center for Rehabilitation and Balneology, Ministry of Health of the Russia, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Northern Institute of Environmental and Minority Law, Arctic Center of the University of Lapland, Association of Reindeer Herders in YNAO.
- Bogdanova, Elena and Andronov, Sergei and Asztalos Morell, Ildikó and Hossain, Kamrul and Raheem, Dele and Filant, Praskovia and Lobanov, Andrey, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020(7570), DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17207570
- Traditional nutrition of Indigenous Peoples” Elena Bogdanova, Andrey Lobanov, Sergei Andronov, Andrei Popov, Ruslan Kochkin, Ildikó Asztalos Morell Book Food Security in the High North DOI: 10.4324/9781003057758-6