Understanding Food Security in the Arctic is the second edition of our Arctic Infrastructure Deconstructed webinar series.
This session explores how infrastructure shapes food security across Arctic communities, focusing on transportation networks, supply chains, storage capacity, and the high costs and logistical barriers that affect reliable access to food. We will discuss how communities, governments, and industry partners are working together to address these challenges and develop practical, northern-led solutions.
Drawing perspectives from across the Arctic region, the webinar highlights both regional realities and shared challenges related to food access, resilience, and infrastructure gaps.
Join us online to learn how collaboration among stakeholders are influencing food security in the North. This webinar is ideal for anyone interested in Arctic development, community resilience, infrastructure policy, and sustainable food systems.
Speakers:
· Joseph Murdoch-Flowers – Executive Director at Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre – Iqaluit
Joseph Murdoch-Flowers is the Executive Director at Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre in Iqaluit. After graduating culinary school at ITHQ in Montreal he worked in restaurants around the city. He attended law school, clerked at the Federal Court of Canada and was called to the bar in 2013. He then moved to Nunavut, where he practiced law for around 10 years in criminal law, civil litigation, and also worked as counsel with the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). He also is the Ethics Officer for Nunavut, and serves on the inaugural board of directors of the National Council for Reconciliation. He is an Inuk, originally from Labrador, and has lived in Nunavik, Montreal, Iqaluit, and now lives in Ottawa with his family.
· Dr. Michael Jones – Research Assistant Professor of EconomicsInstitute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Alaska – Anchorage, United States
Dr. Michael Jones is an applied economist primarily focused on food systems, food security, and the impacts of transportation, infrastructure, and supply chain performance on economic development. His research involves extensive interdisciplinary collaboration across many natural and social science fields to examine complex effects on markets, the environment, and society. He also maintains active collaborations across the public and private sectors in autonomous aviation and the broader Alaskan aviation industry.
Mike Jones received a PhD in Economics from North Carolina State University and an MS in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University. Prior to joining ISER, his work focused on agricultural technology adoption, value chain dynamics, and rural development in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.
· Tiff-Annie Kenny – assistant professor in the Faculté de médecine at Université de Montréal – Montreal, Canada
Tiff-Annie Kenny is an assistant professor in the Faculté de médecine at Université de Montréal. Her research takes a transdisciplinary approach to examining the complex interplay between social and ecological determinants of health. Over the past decade, she has had the privilege of collaborating with Indigenous communities in northern and coastal Canada on food security research to support locally driven solutions.
Moderator:
· Heli Kukkurainen – Doctoral researcher at the University of Oulu – Oulu, Finland
Heli Kukkurainen is a doctoral researcher at the University of Oulu whose work focuses on the links between food systems, climate change, and public health. Her research examines how dietary patterns relate to environmental sustainability and health outcomes. She has also conducted research on food security and climate-related challenges affecting Sámi communities in northern Finland.
