Abstract: The aim of this research is to understand attitudes held by communities towards controlled environment agriculture as a pathway to building resilient local food systems across Canada, particularly in northern and Indigenous communities. Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) is gaining new appreciation across Canada as a means to preserve old teachings with new agriculture techniques as it offers benefits such as reduced emissions from transport of foods, lower food prices, creation of local jobs, and reduce vulnerabilities to changes in global food markets. Current agricultural practices are being scrutinized for their role in soil degradation, nutrient depletion, and water use, among other environmental impacts. CEA is a method proposed to reduce ecological impacts on local and global ecosystems, and despite research showing the validity of CEA in reducing food insecurity, there is minimal research showing the sustainability nor sociocultural impacts of CEA. Many CEA units in Canada are lacking community support and are facing challenges in continuity of programs, despite their potential effectiveness to build capacity and resiliency in the wake of climate change. Through community based participatory research partnerships with Growcer Inc., interviews were conducted with CEA community actors to understand patterns, behaviours, and sentiments related to governance and culture of CEA and local food systems. Interviews were held with hydroponic growers, Growcer inc. employees as well as community members who played a role in the implementation of hydroponic units. This research utilized a mixed methods approach inclusive of qualitative and quantitative methods to identify common sentiments and behaviours across a network of actors, in relation to ecological views, power-relations, and community values. Utilizing these methods allowed for the mapping of underlying dimensions of interactions, norms and decision making, in order to assess sociocultural impacts while engaging a network of stakeholders from community members, to researchers, to corporate organizations to identify best practices for the future of CEA in Canada. Innovative agricultural techniques have the potential to address major global concerns of conserving agricultural landscapes, particularly in communities already experiencing ecological changes resulting from a warming climate, while improving access to nutritious, local foods.
