Motivations driving settler food movement organizations in Canada to engage with Indigenous peoples

Food systems, in terms of the processes, structures, and relationships that bring food to our plates, are deeply embedded in historical and ongoing processes of colonialism. In settler colonial countries, this reality is contributing to growing attention to and engagement with Indigenous peoples and communities in food systems scholarship and practice. This paper asks: what motivates settler-led food movement organizations to engage in relationship building with Indigenous peoples and communities and their associated food system concerns, and what effects do these motivations have for food systems governance? We address these questions by drawing upon interviews with settler-led food movement organizations across Canada. We consider the intrinsic and extrinsic factors – encompassing experiences, values, and flashpoints – that move settlers to act or provoke a response. Our findings identify reconciliation, land relations, and knowledge systems as three interconnected themes shaping motivations for settlers to build relationships with Indigenous peoples in food systems governance. Overall, this research advances more participatory food systems governance that takes the distinctiveness of Indigenous rights and worldviews seriously. Our analysis speaks to the need for settlers to clarify motivations, shift toward ever more meaningful action, and remain self-reflexive.