Unseen challenges to Arctic food security: the role of non-climatic factors in a changing climate

Abstract This study examines how non-climatic factors, such as loss of land rights and economic barriers, exacerbate the impacts of climate change on the food security of Arctic Indigenous Peoples. Given the limited assessment of interaction between non-climatic factors and climate impacts on the pan-Arctic scale, this research aims to identify (1) geographical distribution of research focusing on the non-climatic factors and adaptation strategies shaping food security, (2) non-climatic factors and their interactions exacerbating climate impacts on food security, and (3) adaptive capacities to the impacts of non-climatic factors and their interactions on food security. A systematic literature review of 170 peer-reviewed articles synthesized existing knowledge from four databases: Web of Science, Scopus, AGRICOLA, and CAB Direct. Qualitative content analysis was done to identify non-climatic factors, their impacts on food security, and adaptive capacities, whereas descriptive and chi-square statistics were used to reveal trends, patterns, and significance of their interactions. First, we found there is a lack of research focus on local-level Indigenous Peoples’ food security in Norway, Sweden, and Finland compared to other pan-Arctic countries. Second, impacts of seven dominant themes of non-climatic factors: institutional, economic, socio-cultural/behavioral, infrastructural, technological, health, and other on six dimensions of food security were identified. Third, adaptation to non-climatic factors existed through food sharing, livelihood diversification, and migration, although ineffective adaptation causes maladaptation. By identifying vulnerabilities to food security and adaptive capacities, this study provides policymakers with insights on research gaps, impacts of non-climatic factors, and opportunities to improve adaptation and reduce maladaptation in pan-Arctic context.