Name
Development of an Ecological Calendar to Understand Climate Variability, Freshwater Resource Changes, and Farming Impacts in South Greenland
Date & Time
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 11:15 AM - 11:30 AM
Description
Kujataa, South Greenland represents the first known example of agriculture in the Arctic, with Norse and Inuit subsistence practices blending to create a distinctive cultural landscape. Contemporary sheep farming in the region contributes significantly to Greenland’s national food security, self-sufficiency, and sovereignty priorities. Accelerated warming in Arctic and Subarctic zones has created potential for further agricultural development and expansion. However, this phenomenon is occurring simultaneously with the intensification of the Arctic hydrologic cycle, and heavy precipitation events are becoming more frequent. The changing precipitation pattern has led to considerable uncertainty for Kujataa farmers as, in a given season, they must be prepared to deal with too little water (dry summers or drought), but also too much water (extreme events), both of which negatively impact grass production for winter sheep fodder. In 2023, we initiated a multi-year project to better understand climate variability, freshwater resource changes, and farming impacts within this Subarctic agroecosystem. Using a participatory approach, we conducted farm site assessments involving walk-along semi-structured interviews, inventories of water system infrastructure, and mapping of freshwater sources. We are now developing an ecological calendar to bring together scientific and place-based Indigenous knowledges of the biophysical and sociocultural conditions. Preliminary findings have identified several key occurrences between 2018 and 2023 where contemporary climate shifts have overlapped with unexpected weather conditions and disruptions to typical seasonal farming practices.
Location Name
Mackenzie (ME) 4236
Session Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract ID
329
Speaker Name
Kiley Daley
Speaker Organization
University of Maine
Session Name
CS152 Geographies of Food Security and Farming