Abstract
Indigenous food sovereignty is increasingly used as a framework to explore changing diets and the impact of settler colonialism on the health of Indigenous groups. The impact of settler colonialism on changing the diet of Indigenous peoples and the creation of food deserts has been less frequently explored, especially within state-recognized tribes, and those located in the Gulf South. A qualitative descriptive research approach was implemented to perform 31 life course interviews with Gulf Coast Indigenous women. Findings indicate that settler colonialism has negatively impacted the land and disrupted traditional subsistence practices, which have changed the diet of tribal members, leading to an increase in the consumption of fast food, in addition to contributing to food deserts. Revitalization and protection of traditional food habitats, addressing sovereignty issues for state-recognized tribes, and community-led programs to restore lost food knowledge and address immediate nutritional needs are pathways to address Indigenous food sovereignty.
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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to confidentiality agreements with the tribe in this study. De-identified portions of participant quotes may be made available by the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Notes
“The landmark international Nyéléni 2007 Forum for Food Sovereignty in Mali included the participation of 500 representatives from food producer, consumer and environmental movements from around the world. It was the springboard for the global Food Sovereignty movement. At this Forum six principles and the Nyéléni Declaration were adopted. This was followed by a European Nyéléni Forum in 2011 that was held in Krems, Austria, where the Nyéléni Europe Declaration and an action plan were agreed upon. In February 2015, the same movements also participated in the International Forum for Agroecology in the Nyéléni center in Mali and contributed to its Declaration” (European Coordination Via Campesina n.d.).
“The first declaration of Nyéléni was drafted in 2007 and has been a reference on social movement’s perspective on food sovereignty ever since. This new [2015] statement signifies a further articulation of the vision of social movements on agroecology as the pathway toward food sovereignty” (Ileia 2017).
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The lead author (Jessica Liddell) completed the study conception. Jessica Liddell and Catherine McKinley completed the study design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Jessica Liddell. The manuscript was written in full by Jessica Liddell, Sarah Kington, and Catherine McKinley.
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Liddell, J.L., Kington, S.G. & McKinley, C.E. “You got to drive 30 miles to get an apple”: Indigenous food sovereignty, food deserts, and changing subsistence practices in the gulf coast. SN Soc Sci 2, 232 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-022-00530-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-022-00530-5