A number of IHACC project members participated in the ArticNet 2013 conference. Dr. James Ford presented a poster on IHACC that focused on the Arctic regional team's work, and chaired the session "Climate Adaptation, Health and Indigenous Knowledge (IK-ADAPT)".
The following three talks were also given at the conference during topical sessions:
Including the Intangible: Photo-Cards as a Method for Analyzing the Social and Cultural Importance of Food in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut by Kaitlyn Finner
Perceptions of the Causes and Cures Surrounding Acute Gastrointestinal Illness among Residents of Iqaluit, Nunavut by Anna Bunce
From Community-Based to Community-Led: Understanding Research as a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for Public Health in the North by Charlotte Wolfrey
Hofmeijer, I., Ford, J., Berrang-Ford, L. et al. (2013). Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change. Find PDF.
This paper presents the results of an exploratory study working with two Amazonian communities in Peru to identify key climate-related health risks from the perspective of local residents, and characterize how these risks are experienced and managed. The work adopts a vulnerability-based approach and utilizes participatory methodologies to document and examine local perspectives on vulnerability and adaptive capacity. Thirty nine community members were engaged in participatory photography (photovoice), and rapid rural appraisal workshops were conducted with a total 40 participants. Contextual information was obtained from 34 semi-structured interviews with key informants and participant observation during fieldwork. Three climate-related health risks were identified by the communities as pressing issues (food insecurity, water insecurity, and vector-borne disease), all of which are climate-dependent and reported to be being affected by observed changes in climatic conditions. Sensitivity to these risks is high due to social and economic disadvantages which force people to live in suboptimal conditions, partake in dangerous activities, and engage in unhealthy behaviors. Traditional approaches to health and strong social networks are important in moderating health risks, but are placed under increasing stress in the context of local social and economic changes due to larger scale influences, including resource development, deforestation, and changing social relations.
This year, the annual meeting was held in Buhoma in the Kanungu District of Uganda and took place from the 9th to the 11th of July. Issues having arisen during the second year of the project were discussed, and strategies forward for year three were developed. Team members also had the opportunity to visit one of the project’s partnering research communities, the Mukongoro Batwa settlement, accompanied by the Batwa Development Program’s Sabastian Twesigomwe. The team was greeted with songs and dances, and shared a traditional meal prepared by community members.
by Mya ShermanI was awakened at 4:30am to the Shipibo radio program blaring next to my mosquito net. This had become a daily occurrence during my time in the Amazonian community of Panaillo, and I would normally fall back asleep until the sunrise at 6am, but this day was different. My host family was already busy preparing for our trip to the playa, so I braved the early-morning mosquitos to help them load up the boat. I had been telling community members all week that I was going to help plant watermelon and chiclayo (black eyed peas) in the playa, which is the strip of beach where the majority of Panaillo agriculture is carried out. My enthusiasm for the trip was met with knowing looks and gentle chuckles. It felt like a rite of passage and was also an excellent opportunity to gain greater insight into the Panaillo food system for my Master’s thesis fieldwork.
We were soon weaving our way along the Panaillo River towards the playa. As my host dad indicated to me where the river level had been only one week earlier, I was struck by the shifting and variable nature of the landscape. Every year, Panaillo is flooded with over a meter of water and the entire area becomes one giant waterway. For three months, canoes replace walking, fish is the only source of fresh food, and houses endure winds that are strong enough to knock them over. By the time the river levels start to lower in April, most families have exhausted their food reserves. The short-cycle agriculture in the playa thus represents an important opportunity to generate additional sources of food and income.
In May 2013, youth in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut engaged in a two-week participatory video project to create a film about growing up and living in Rigolet.
Facilitated by Jordan and Curtis Konek (Konek Productions) from Arviat, Nunavut, Marilyn Baikie and Inez Shiwak (‘My Word’: Storytelling & Digital Media Lab) from Rigolet, and Joanna Petrasek MacDonald (McGill graduate student & IK-ADAPT researcher), this workshop provided students from Northern Lights Academy with training in video design, camera techniques, interviewing skills, and editing.
The workshop concluded with the completion of a 17 minute film, edited entirely by the students and a community screening. As Joanna Petrasek MacDonald explained,
The film is about the lives of the youth in Rigolet and full of footage of all kinds of awesome activities that they do in and around town. Not one seat at the screening was empty, there were lots of laughs and smiles, and the young filmmakers were glowing with pride. Since the screening we have received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from the students, parents, teachers, and community members.
For a ‘behind the scenes’ look at the making of the Life in Rigolet participatory video, check out Joanna’s video:
This project would not be possible without the amazing support and guidance of the following organizations, groups, and individuals:
Charlotte Wolfrey (AngajukKâk) and the Rigolet Inuit Community Government
Tom Mugford (Principal) and the staff and students of Northern Lights Academy
‘My Word’: Storytelling and Digital Media Lab
Nunatsiavut Department of Health and Social Development
Climate Change Adaptation Research Group at McGill University
Inuit Mental Health and Adaptation to Climate Change (IMHACC) project
Inuit Knowledge for Adapting to the Health Effects of Climate Change (IK-ADAPT) project
Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change (IHACC) project
First Air and Air Labrador
Finally, a very special thank you to Jordan and Curtis Konek, from Konek Productions, for lending their video expertise and making this all possible!
