Amanda S. Green, Oregon State University (Bend, OR): Social and sustainable dimensions of sub-Arctic food systems: The case of northern Sweden

In Sweden, the (re)development of rural food systems is championed by national and local governments as a means to confront issues faced by rural regions. Some of the solutions they offer include the creation of new employment opportunities, the slowing of outmigration to larger cities, the revitalization of traditional and indigenous food practices, and the environmentally sustainable production of foods. This paper will explore the implications of these national and local policies and discourses through the examination of ongoing food-work in the Jokkmokk municipality. My findings and analysis are based on several years of ethnographic observation of the region and a one year community food assessment that I conducted with Jokkmokk’s small business development organization. I address questions raised by the idea of social sustainability in food production contextualized within the very real ecological issues that threaten sustainable food production in Jokkmokk: specific climate change impacts, the legacy of hydropower, and the possible development of a major mining district.

Please check out the working paper on Oregon State University Food Sustainability Assessments