Hunted, Harvested and Homegrown: The Prevalence of Self-provisioning in Rural Canada

Authors

  • Sara Teitelbaum University of New Brunswick
  • Thomas M Beckley University of New Brunswick

Abstract

This research examines self-provisioning activities in rural Canada and describes their prevalence both in terms of participation and the degree to which they make material contributions to households. Self-provisioning is correlated with a number of household characteristics, such as employment, income, and length of residency. Results show that self-provisioning activities are still common in rural Canada, particularly those requiring low capital investments such as gardening and wildcrafting. However the analysis reveals weak associations between socio-economic variables and self-provisioning, providing further evidence that, in aggregate, rural households have complex motivations for participating in self-provisioning activities and that economic need is not always the main driver. The data demonstrate a low level of participation amongst the very poorest households, implying structural barriers to participation for some of these activitie

Author Biographies

Sara Teitelbaum, University of New Brunswick

Sara Teitelbaum is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management at the University of New Brunswick. Her background is in geography and forest conservation. Her dissertation research involves a national profile of community forest initiatives in Canada as well as case studies of specific community forestry initiatives.

Thomas M Beckley, University of New Brunswick

Dr. Beckley is Professor in the Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management. His background is in Rural Sociology and Sociology and his interests include rural communities, social dimensions of natural resource management, public involvement in forest management and forest policy among other things.

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Published

2006-04-27