Food security or food sovereignty: What is the main issue in the arctic?

Abstract

Food security and food sovereignty have been highlighted as priority issues in the Arctic, since climate change and industrial processes likely will have a severe effect on living conditions in the north in the near future. Food security can be defined as situations where people have both physical and economic access to food that meets their dietary needs as well as their food preferences. Food sovereignty describes situations when local peoples are in control of the processes leading to food security. Of 12 previously suggested measurements of food security indicators for the Arctic, three were related to food sovereignty. In this chapter we discuss the concepts of food security and food sovereignty, and their interrelations and relevance from an Arctic perspective.