Naurvik in Nunavut: History, What It Grows, How It Is Funded and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Naurvik, Inuktitut for the growing place, is a community-led hydroponic food production system in Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, about 250 km north of the Arctic Circle. It is not a conventional farm; it is one of the best-documented year-round growing operations in a territory where Statistics Canada's 2021 Census of Agriculture reported no farms at all.
| Location | Gjoa Haven, King William Island, Nunavut |
|---|---|
| Founded | First crop grown in October 2019 |
| Sectors | Hydroponic vegetables, herbs and fruit grown indoors |
| Scale | Three 20-foot container pods; 168 square feet of growing space on racks (Arctic Research Foundation) |
| Why it is elite | First-of-its-kind community-led, mostly wind and solar powered food system in the Arctic; AgriScience Program contribution of $749,705 to 2028 |
| Ownership | Community-led with the Arctic Research Foundation, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, National Research Council Canada and the Canadian Space Agency |
| Official website | Arctic Research Foundation Naurvik page |
History of Naurvik
Naurvik grew out of a partnership between the Gjoa Haven community and the Arctic Research Foundation, a non-profit, with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the National Research Council and the Canadian Space Agency. The Canadian Space Agency describes the facility as beginning operation in October 2019, with local technicians trained on the job in hydroponics, controlled-environment food production and environmental control systems. The name was chosen by the community.
The project was shaped with local Inuit elders, who give ongoing input on which plants to grow and what to do next. The Arctic Research Foundation states that crops have included several types of lettuce, peas, peppers, mint, corn and strawberries, and that the community plans to grow more plants native to King William Island and plants used in traditional Inuit practices.
The federal commitment has continued. The Government of Canada grants database lists a contribution of $749,705 from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's AgriScience Program to the Arctic Research Foundation for Northern Food Production Systems at Naurvik, running from July 2024 to March 2028, aimed at energy efficiency and revitalizing Indigenous food systems.
What Naurvik Grows and Raises
Naurvik uses three retrofitted shipping containers: a grow pod, a utility pod and a power pod. Crops grow on racks under LED lighting with nutrient solution tanks, an exhaust fan that controls carbon dioxide and humidity, and a dehumidifier. The foundation reports 168 square feet of growing space across seven racks of three shelves, plus racks for tall and vine crops, and a 1,000 litre freshwater tank.
The power system is built around two 6 kW wind turbines, two 7.32 kW solar arrays and lithium-ion battery banks, with a 20 kW diesel generator as backup. The foundation says that even in deep winter about 75 percent of the facility's power comes from renewable sources. Local technicians staff and manage the facility, supported by team members across Canada, and the manager has said she hopes the model can spread to other Nunavut communities where food prices are higher.
How Naurvik Makes Money
Public research and program funding
The main funding is public: the AgriScience Program contribution through the Arctic Research Foundation, plus the in-kind roles of the National Research Council and the Canadian Space Agency. For now Naurvik is better described as a funded community project than a commercial farm.
Community food distribution
According to the Arctic Research Foundation, produce is donated to elders, search and rescue teams and people in need. The return is food access and fresher greens in a community where fresh produce is flown or shipped in at high cost.
Jobs, training and a scalable model
The facility creates local technician jobs and trains staff in hydroponics and environmental controls. The stated goal is a scalable model for other remote locations, so knowledge, designs and trained people are the longer-term products.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Naurvik
The first lesson is that community ownership of the decisions matters as much as the hardware. Elders choose the crops, local technicians run the system, and outside partners adapt to the community's needs rather than the reverse.
The second is to design for energy first. Lighting, heating and dehumidifying a growing space in the Arctic is an electricity problem, and combining wind, solar, batteries and a backup generator keeps diesel use down. Third, be honest about scope: container systems grow greens and small crops well, but researchers quoted by the National Observer note that salad alone does not solve food insecurity, so pair them with country food, store food and transport support.
Gjoa Haven sits well above the Arctic Circle, where a lettuce grown under LED lights in a shipping container is a minor miracle and the community decides what goes on the racks. The writers at farm.FM usually mine farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes from tractors and county fairs, but here the only honest joke is that the corn is doing better than anyone expected, and we are all rooting for it.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
How to Contact Naurvik
Website: https://www.arcticfocus.org/about/vessels-and-labs/naurvik/
Address: General Delivery, Naurvik, Gjoa Haven, Nunavut X0B 0A3
The mailing address above is printed on the Arctic Research Foundation's Naurvik page; the page also lists separate research and media email contacts. There is no separate Naurvik website. Naurvik is a community research and food project, not a retail farm, so contact the foundation before planning a visit. Details checked November 2026.
Naurvik Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Arctic Research Foundation: Naurvik - Operator page on the pods, power system, crops and community role
- Canadian Space Agency: Naurvik project - Federal description of the project, partners and training
- AAFC grants record for Naurvik - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada AgriScience contribution to 2028
- Arctic Focus: Inuit-driven project - Story on elder input and community direction
- National Observer on northern hydroponics - Independent look at strengths and limits of container greenhouses in the North
Naurvik FAQ
What is Naurvik?
Naurvik is a community-led hydroponic food production system in Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, housed in retrofitted shipping containers and operating since October 2019.
What does Naurvik grow?
The Arctic Research Foundation lists several types of lettuce, peas, peppers, mint, corn and strawberries, with plans to add plants native to King William Island.
Who runs Naurvik?
Local technicians from Gjoa Haven run it, with the Arctic Research Foundation, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the National Research Council and the Canadian Space Agency as partners.
Is Naurvik a commercial farm?
It is a community and research project. The Arctic Research Foundation reports that produce is donated to elders, search and rescue teams and people in need.
Naurvik shows that food production in Nunavut can be real, local and run by the community even where the census counts no farms. For the territory's wider food picture, including community greenhouses, container farms and country food, read the Nunavut farms guide.