RAPID: Collaborative Research: Impact of COVID-19 on Food Access in Indigenous Communities in the Arctic and Southwest U.S.

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This RAPID award supports the comparative study of COVID-19 impacts on Indigenous food access, security, and sovereignty in Alaska and the Southwest U.S. Systematic study of these impacts is needed 1) to understand the obstacles to food security facing Indigenous communities across the United States and 2) to identify the innovations that promote resilient and sustainable food systems. Employing a participatory framework the prioritizes knowledge co-production, this project will provide a baseline assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on subsistence practices, traditional food knowledge, and food access. Improved understanding of the obstacles to food security and the resiliencies in Indigenous foodways will enable both communities and policy makers to plan proactively for future adverse events. Enhanced preparedness will directly benefit Indigenous communities in Alaska and the Southwest U.S. and contribute more generally to advancing national health and welfare. This project employs a participatory, community-driven methodology involving Indigenous research partners from Alaska and the U.S. Southwest. Project design, deployment, and dissemination of results will be guided by a research advisory committee (RAC) comprised of members of the existing Indigenous Foods Knowledges Network (IFKN). Approximately thirty participants will be recruited from an existing network of collaborators and through snowball sampling. Data collection will occur primarily through interviews conducted remotely. Interview transcripts will be thematically coded and analyzed to infer commonalities and differences between communities in Alaska and the U.S. Southwest. Project results will be reported directly to participants, in a white paper, through conference presentations, and peer-reviewed publications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.