Abstract:
The emerging research evidence regarding functional food health
benefits, coupled with the modern rise in degenerative and lifestylerelated
health conditions, has created a growing market in the
United States: the super-fruit. Wild berries, which contain bioactive
phytochemicals with demonstrated efficacy against metabolic syndrome,
have fulfilled important nutritional, medicinal, and social roles in Native
American/Alaska Native lifestyles for generations. In this article, a
SWOT analysis was used to explore the opportunities and obstacles
for native development of wild Alaskan berries as a commercial product.
On one hand, the novelty, market appeal and abundance of these
phytochemically enriched berries suggest an entrepreneurial prospect
for native communities. On the other hand, historical traditions typically
dictate community ownership of the wild indigenous berries, and a
natural inclination to protect common resources is prevalent in most
communities. The factors that influence this complex juxtaposition between
internal culture and external development are highlighted
