The Political Ecology of Sustainable Livelihoods in Kakisa, NWT: Fish Waste Composting for Enhancing Soil Productivity and Waste Management Capacity in Northern Indigenous Communities

Public Deposited
Resource Type
Creator
Abstract
  • Climate change and inadequate waste management capacity disproportionately impact northern Indigenous communities, exacerbating existing food insecurity in the Northwest Territories. Climate change simultaneously reduces the accessibility and availability of traditionally harvested or hunted foods and promotes agricultural expansion farther North. In response to these challenges, the Ka'a'gee Tu First Nation (KTFN), Kakisa, NWT, identifies fish waste composting to increase agricultural productivity and waste management capacity. This thesis explores the community-driven fish composting project led by the KTFN, using participatory action research as a guiding methodology. It couples a Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) to generate practical recommendations to strengthen community assets, with a political ecology framework to explore underlying meaning and discursive constructions. Results indicate the KTFN perceive various practical benefits for composting fish waste. The KTFN's worldviews and epistemologies articulate the perceived practical benefits through lenses of deeper significance including health, taking care of the land, self-sufficiency, and traditional knowledge.

Subject
Language
Publisher
Thesis Degree Level
Thesis Degree Name
Thesis Degree Discipline
Identifier
Rights Notes
  • Copyright © 2021 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, research, scholarship, and teaching. Theses may only be shared by linking to Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be used without proper attribution to the author. No part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner.
Date Created
  • 2021

Relations

In Collection:

Items