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Published on : Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Food comprises a major part of indigenous cultures, with traditional knowledge and values being passed down from one generation to the next.
In 2016, 15,765 people in Canada’s agricultural population identified as indigenous, representing 2.7 per cent of the agricultural population.
Nevertheless, while indigenous agricultural operators represented 5,160 or 1.9 per cent of the 270,720 agricultural operators in Canada, many have opined that indigenous values and food systems may provide a great opportunity, with the help of tourism, to attract and sustain a less carbon-intensive industry.
Trevor Jonas Benson has been working at the interface between the food & drink and tourism industries for the past 15-years. As the Vice President of Destination Development at the Culinary Tourism Alliance, Trevor sees food and food experiences as a medium for exploring various cultures.
Trevor and his colleagues believe that indigenous peoples’ food tourism activity might provide an opportunity for both consumers and operators to think about the ethics of tourism in the midst of the pandemic and climate crisis.
“A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a taste is worth a thousand more, and I am expecting the re-emergence of tourism to be accompanied by a celebration of the diverse foods and foodways that define the places we visit,” said Trevor regarding the return to leisure-based travel.
Trevor added, “What gives me confidence that we’re going to see this return coupled with a more conscious traveler and good stewardship on the part of destinations is the fact that the pandemic has renewed our interest in local sustainable food systems. With import-dependent governments concerned about their food supply chains and consumers rediscovering their connection to food as they return to cooking for themselves, we’re actually quite hopeful for a new food tourism to evolve; that is, one that sheds light on the interconnectedness of food, people, places and processes.”