Indigenous knowledge and food sovereignty in Canada: a review of tensions and practices supporting meaningful engagement

Indigenous food sovereignty is a multidimensional concept rooted in Indigenous self-determination. It encompasses political, cultural, and relational processes through which Indigenous communities preserve, revitalize, and reclaim their food systems, territories, cultures, and knowledge. Indigenous knowledge systems are crucial to Indigenous food sovereignty, yet they continue to occupy a limited place in non-Indigenous-led initiatives aiming to support Indigenous food sovereignty in Canada. In this review, we examine the tensions, risks, and practices described in 32 studies that discuss the engagement of non-Indigenous people and organizations in Indigenous food sovereignty initiatives. We identified several tensions and risks, including the historical and ongoing marginalization of Indigenous knowledge, power imbalances between Indigenous and non-Indigenous approaches to food systems, Indigenous people’s distrust of initiatives arising from extractive and short-term projects; the limited involvement of community members, Indigenous leaders, and Elders in initiatives affecting their communities; the erosion of intergenerational knowledge transmission; and the dominance of Western educational systems that continue to marginalize Indigenous knowledge. We also identified practices described as supportive, including the recognition and valuing of Indigenous knowledge holders and knowledge systems; the development of partnerships grounded in Indigenous priorities, temporalities, and ways of engagement; and the active involvement of Indigenous community members, Indigenous leaders, and Elders in initiatives that concern them. Drawing on these findings, we argue that Indigenous food sovereignty is strengthened when food initiatives are guided by the priorities, knowledge systems, and visions of Indigenous communities themselves, and when relationships, institutions, and ways of working are shaped by these communities.