$1.8 million is now available for small Alaska food-security projects

Those thinly-stocked shelves at grocery stores in recent days are a stark reminder of the vulnerability of Alaska’s food supply, 95 percent of which comes north by ship or barge.

Supply disruptions due mainly to storms in the Pacific Northwest have created the latest scarcity in food stores.

Fear of being cut off is one more cause for anxiety among Alaskans.

A new federal program will help Alaskans grow more of their own food and while it will take a while to seriously dent the problem it’s at least a start.

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced Jan. 10 that $1.8 million in small grant funds is now going to Alaskans to jump-start garden projects and more will be coming next year, a result of the senator’s work on the 2018 federal farm bill.

Murkowkski helped create the new federal Micro-Grants for Food Security program in her work as senior member of the U.S. Senate appropriations committee.

Alaskans, Hawaiians and citizens of U.S. Territories who are cut off from normal overland transportation of food, and who are vulnerable to supply disruptions, can apply for the grants.

Murkowski said the goal is to “increase the quality and quantity of locally-grown food in food insecure communities though small-scale agriculture-related projects.”

Applications are made though agriculture divisions of states and territories and last year Alaska’s Division of Agriculture received over 1,000 proposals, of which 234 were selected for funding by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s marketing service, according to Alaska’s agriculture director, Dave Schade.

Over 60 grants with $360,000 in funding was approved for greenhouse projects; over 40 grants totaling $320,000 were approved for gardening proposals.

Thirty grants involving over $260,000 are related to food storage and 25 grants totaling $145,000 are for fencing.

There is a lot of interest in the program, Schade said. The Division of Agriculture received over 2,300 pre-applications from which 1,000 became actual proposals for projects.

In a related development, Mat Valley Meats in Wasilla was awarded $200,000 through a separate federal agriculture program that helps meat processors upgrade facilities to meet federal meat inspection standards.

This will help Alaska livestock growers supply more local demand for locally-grown meat. The grant will allow Mat Valley Meats to purchase a mobile slaughter unit, making it easier for Alaska growers to get meat processed and inspected for sale.

Grants can be made to individuals, tribes and tribal organizations, non-profits, and federally-funded educational facilities. Local and tribal governments that may not levy local taxes are eligible to apply for the micro grant funds.

Individuals are eligible to receive up to $5,000 per year; other eligible entities may receive up to $10,000 per year.

The funds may be used to purchase items needed to grow and store food, expanding areas under cultivation; hydroponic and aeroponic farming; building, buying, erecting or repairing fencing for livestock, poultry, and reindeer; purchasing and equipping a slaughter and processing facility.

Also, funds can be used for travel to participate in agricultural education; creating or expanding avenues for the sale of local food; and engaging in other activities related to increasing food security, including subsistence.

“Far too many Alaskans lack access to affordable, nutritious food,” Murkowski said in a statement.

“By increasing opportunities to grow, store and process our own food, we are not only combating food insecurity but also helping Alaskans find stability and confidence,” she said.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy said food security is a high priority, and new gardens, greenhouses, storage facilities and fencing, and the increase in slaughter facilities, will help move Alaska toward food independence,” the governor said.

Not long ago Alaskans were mostly self-sufficient in food between salmon, moose and what they grew in summer gardens. Local dairies supplied fresh milk.

What changed this was technology and the advent of large, efficient container ships that brought food to Alaska from farms in the Pacific Northwest.

Large farms and dairies in the Lower 48, many corporate-owned, were able to produce many types of food and milk at less cost than smaller family farms and dairies in Alaska.

When this advantage was combined with efficient, fast ocean transport, many Alaskan farms could not compete. This has led to Alaska’s 95 percent dependence on imported food.