Indigenous Food Systems Changes and Resiliency: Protocol for a Scoping Review

Hiliary Monteith; Elizabeth Claire Hiscock; Yasamin Sadeghi; Emily V Smith; Angela Mashford-Pringle

doi:10.2196/41627

Indigenous Food Systems Changes and Resiliency: Protocol for a Scoping Review

JMIR Res Protoc. 2023 Apr 21:12:e41627. doi: 10.2196/41627.

Authors

Hiliary Monteith¹, Elizabeth Claire Hiscock^{2

3}, Yasamin Sadeghi³, Emily V Smith⁴, Angela Mashford-Pringle^{3

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
² Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
³ Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁴ Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁵ Waakebiness-Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.

PMID: 37083598
PMCID: PMC10163398
DOI: 10.2196/41627

Abstract

Background: Indigenous food systems (IFS) consider the complex relationships and connections between land, animals, plants, water, and people. These food systems may differ between regions, Indigenous cultures, and history; however, given the similar colonial histories and policies influencing Indigenous groups in Canada, the United States, Australia, and Aotearoa (New Zealand), the IFS changes and responses in these regions may follow similar trends. Climate change and pollution continue to impact the environment in catastrophic ways, and this, in turn, impacts IFS. However, to date, there has been no review of the literature on IFS, how they are changing, and how communities are responding to these changes.

Objective: In this scoping review, we will summarize primary research in Canada, the United States, Australia, and Aotearoa related to IFS addressing the following questions: (1) What changes are IFS experiencing in the context of climate change and pollution? (2) What actions have been taken in response to IFS changes? (3) What are the characteristics of IFS research in peer-reviewed academic literature?

Methods: We will use the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines for scoping reviews and the Joanna Briggs Institute reviewer's manual to inform the review process. MEDLINE, SCOPUS, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Sociological Abstracts, and the Bibliography of Native North Americans are the databases included in this review search. All screening and extraction have been supported by Covidence software (Veritas Health Innovation) with 2 independent reviewers conducting the abstract and full-text screening. We will map concepts and themes related to the research questions to contribute to the understanding of IFS within the academic literature and provide a narrative review of the outcomes.

Results: The electronic database searches for this review were conducted in May 2021. Screening and full-text review were initially completed in the winter of 2022. We are currently in the process of compiling results and aim to share findings in 2023.

Conclusions: This review will provide valuable insight into current IFS needs by summarizing the peer-reviewed literature on how IFS are changing because of climate change and pollution and how communities are responding to these changes. The results of this review will be shared with Indigenous communities, through academic publications, community conversations, and conference presentations.

Trial registration: OSF Registries osf.io/xrj87; https://osf.io/xrj87.

International registered report identifier (irrid): RR1-10.2196/41627.

Keywords: Indigenous; Indigenous health; climate change; colonization; environment; food systems; pollution; scoping review; traditional foods.

©Hiliary Monteith, Elizabeth Claire Hiscock, Yasamin Sadeghi, Emily V Smith, Angela Mashford-Pringle. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org), 21.04.2023.