Indigenous Peoples' food systems: Insights on sustainability and resilience from the front line of climate change

Abstract

Climate change has been an ongoing struggle for Indigenous Peoples. It is not a challenge that we are awaiting the consequences of, but one we are currently facing and have been facing every day. I come from a Sámi people fishing community in northern Finland. We are experiencing first hand the effects of climate change on Indigenous Peoples. Global warming is melting the ice and fish resources are diminishing, which is affecting our food system and, as a result, compromising our livelihoods. Finding solutions to climate change is not just a priority, it is an emergency. Indigenous Peoples number 476 million persons worldwide, living in more than 90 countries and belonging to 5 000 different peoples and linguistic groups. We are amongst the most culturally diverse and traditionally unique societies on earth because of our rich history, culture, spirituality, unique ancestral links and tremendous traditional knowledge. Our ways of life, cultures and knowledge systems have been passed on for centuries.