Speaker
Description
Keywords: agroecology, meat production, cultural revitalization, ecosystem resiliency, food sovereignty,
Introduction: Bison (Bison bison), also referred to as North American buffalo, is considered an ecological and cultural keystone species on the North American Great Plains, which despite its keystone functions, faced near extinction starting in the late 19th century. Today, despite Indigenous Nations historically being restricted and cut-off from this food source, bison herds are being restored and managed for cultural and commercial purposes by numerous Indigenous Nations. Yet, the segregated history of bison husbandry in Canada has led to differences in paradigms and resulting knowledge and management practices. According to legislation, bison animals are either legally designated as livestock or wildlife in Canada, with nearly 90% of live animals managed according to Western ranching practices. Bison natural behaviour, such as wallowing, plowing through deep snow and brush, and general grazing habits, is credited for maintaining many North American grassland ecosystem services. Braiding Indigenous and Western Food Systems and their associated knowledge of bison, including management practices, could lead to improved agroecological and production outcomes for multi-functional animal husbandry serving both food sovereignty and sustainability.
Research Objective: Identify the cross-cutting food systems and their actors pertinent for practicing food sovereign and sustainable bison husbandry in Western Canada.
Methodology: This research followed a transdisciplinary approach of working with(in) Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Indigenous Science Liaison Office (AAFC-ISLO) to employing a fact-finding mission to inform a strategy for bison husbandry in Canada. Bison actors were identified through snowball sampling starting from previous and on-going research collaborations with AAFC, as well as contacting publicly established institutions, such as the International Buffalo Relations Institute and the Canadian Bison Association. Different formats, e.g. online conference calls, walkabouts, in person-meetings, and attending community conferences were used to exchange information with and between identified actors. During online video calls, walkabouts, and in-person meetings, actors were asked in a free open format to share their experience, appreciation, and knowledge of bison, as well as highlight where they see the largest barriers for the future of bison as a food source. Researchers attended conferences hosted by local Indigenous communities and conservation groups on the topic of sustainable land management to gain insights into priorities, motivations, and trending topics on bison husbandry. Information was qualitatively mind-mapped according to current and hypothetical future food system(s) related to bison husbandry in Western Canada.
Results:
Indigenous and non-indigenous livestock producers, conservationists, municipal administrators, academics, and scientists were all identified and responded to the research team requests to “talk about bison.” Through conversations, two dynamic bottom-up movements and associated food systems were identified: 1) commercial livestock industry for domestic markets; 2) bison reintroduction for eco-cultural ways of life. A third system of bison husbandry exists – wildlife conservation in national parks – which feeds into the other systems through donations and sales of live animals to manage population size as well as Indigenous partnership bison management programs. The two food systems share common Western science-based knowledge regarding bison’s role as an ecological keystone species and agree that bison as a food source is necessary for successful bison restoration, i.e. “to restore bison we need to eat bison.” Importantly, some Indigenous perspectives (e.g. Cree & Blackfoot) include the spiritual role of bison on the Great Plains. Perceived challenges for bison husbandry were also similar across actors. The systems shared multiple nodes (e.g. ecosystem conservation, access to abattoirs, animal breeding & procurement) within a greater Western Canadian food system.
Overall aspects mentioned as related to bison husbandry in Canada included – cultural revitalization, spirituality, feed (prices), connection to the land, food security, animal agency, ecosystem restoration/engineering, economics, circular/buffalo economy, sustainability, biodiversity (genetic diversity), processing, fencing, financing, food security, fire, access to markets, livelihoods/occupation. The first four aspects were exclusively expressed by Indigenous actors, whereas the other aspects were expressed by both Indigenous and non-indigenous actors.
One main challenge for the future of bison husbandry came up multiple times within both food systems: access to government inspected bison abattoirs / legal distribution of prepared meat. This was mentioned in connection with aspects such as food security, access to markets, access to appropriate food (e.g., culturally relevant food is also safe food), commercial competitiveness, and limited bison meat supply compared to demand. A subsequent policy analysis of current food safety regulations in Western Canada pointed out that current regulations create barriers for expression of food sovereignty and negatively impact food security from bison meat procurement. Not all provinces (federal states) have the same regulations and less restrictive practices were found in British Columbia and Saskatchewan. If implemented at a wider scale, regulations such as allowing the sale of uninspected meat with the appropriate labelling, could benefit isolated populations, particularly Indigenous communities, in increasing legal access to meat and economic livelihoods. Other provinces are encouraged to consider alternatives for on-site slaughter and processing so that more products may enter the supply chain as saleable products as well as through community institutions, such as food banks and community sharing. In addition, loosening restrictions on movement of meat between provincial jurisdictions could allow for increased trade amongst Indigenous Nations and thus improving food sovereignty.
Conclusion:
Bison husbandry is a success story for species and biodiversity conservation; yet, in terms of social and economic sustainability the system remains imbalanced, largely due to institutional and jurisdictional complexities. Some existing Western regulations could be leveraged to meet constraints hindering Indigenous food sovereignty. Future bison food systems are likely to become more diverse and further establish themselves as agroecological systems, where bison husbandry is valued beyond the provisioning ecosystem service of food. Thus, creating an opportunity for the bridging of Indigenous and Western knowledge systems for the betterment of the agriculture sector at local, national and international levels.
