The new project of the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland will explore the concept of human security as it applies to food security in the Arctic. The central aim in the project is to develop a network of scholars in order to promote new knowledge concerning the effect of climate change in the circumpolar Arctic on its vulnerable groups of population in regard to promoting overall food security.

To achieve this goal the project studies what are the policies
in place to promote the supply of traditional and local foods, and their value
addition in the food system and what is the current consumers’ perception of such
products and their impacts on the local economy.

– We want
to understand food system and food security from the regional context. Traditional
food is important for the enjoyment of greater human rights because it is an
established, and inter-connected, component within human rights framework. We ask
who are the main vulnerable groups and how are they become the victims of human
rights violation in relation to food security, tells Kamrul Hossain from the Arctic
Centre.

The project is expected to establish a solid
network of experts in the discipline brining scholars from Canada, Denmark, Finland,
France, Germany, Norway, Russia, Sweden and Spain. The project called “Food
(in)security in the Arctic” runs from 2017 to 2020. The activities for the first
year are funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) within the framework of
Arctic Cooperation Program with DKK 200,000.00. The Program is administered by
Nordregio – a leading Nordic and European research centre for regional development
and planning, established by the Nordic Council of Ministers.

The project is hosted by the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority
Law (NIEM) of the Arctic Centre and it is led by Associate Professor and the
Director of NIEM Kamrul Hossain. The other team members at the host institution
include Post-Doctoral Researcher Bamidele Raheem and Researcher Assi Harkoma.

More information:

Dr. Kamrul Hossain
Associate Professor / Director
Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law
Arctic Centre,
University of Lapland
+358 40 484 4281, kamrul.hossain (at)
ulapland.fi

LaY/AK/JW