Backyard agriculture takes center stage at workshop

With spring on the horizon and thoughts turning to fresh, Alaska Grown meat and produce, a Saturday event is designed to raise awareness of the benefits of local agriculture by promoting food independence at the household and community levels.

The Food Security Workshop will open its doors to backyard gardeners, hobby farmers, and others interested in making the most of Alaska’s short growing season by providing more nutritious and delicious food options for their families. The event, which will feature the Mat-Su Farm Bureau, students involved in Future Farmers of America, and multiple local experts, will be held at Palmer Junior Middle School from 9 a.m. til noon on Feb. 22.

The free workshop will give attendees an opportunity to learn from locals engaged in, and passionate about, a variety of agriculture-related topics, according to Sen. Shelley Hughes, who is hosting the event. Tips to grow, gather, harvest, and preserve food will be available. Topics covered will include everything from hay to chickens to goats, backyard gardening, bees, berries/jams, canning, and beyond.

“We’ll briefly cover a ‘buffet’ of topics, so you’ll get a delicious ‘taste’ of the expertise in our local region,” Hughes said in a press release. “Hopefully it will inspire people to give it a go in one or more areas, knowing that a friendly expert is just a phone call and a few miles away.”

The idea for the workshop, the first of its kind, came out of the state’s Food Strategy Task Force. That group, which Hughes chairs, and has been meeting since 2023 to discuss ways to increase the state’s food security, decrease reliance on Lower 48 products, and implement strategies to foster agricultural expansion.

Hughes noted that while much legislative energy in recent years has been spent on affordable energy and energy independence, that’s not the only potential crisis facing the state.

“I’m hearing more and more about another basic life need in the same way from Alaskans: greater food independence and affordable access to food,” she said. “Is this a natural resource we should develop to a greater degree in Alaska? Many Alaskans think it is, and I agree.”

The Food Strategy Task Force brought together ag-minded legislators and stakeholders from around the state. Sutton Rep. George Rauscher is also part of the group, which includes several other Mat-Su people, including Bryan Scoresby, director of the state’s Division of Agriculture, and local farmer Arthur Keyes, himself a former Division of Ag Director.

Hughes, who has represented Palmer in the state Senate since 2017 and in the state House for two terms before that, is also one of the founders of the Legislature’s Food and Farm Caucus, a loose affiliation of ag-minded legislators who meet to discuss and advance ag-related legislation. So growing the state’s agriculture sector has always been important to her.

She said she hopes that other communities in Alaska will hold similar Food Security Workshops that bring residents together with local experts to spark interest and action in boosting greater food independence in their region of the state.

“The majority of Alaska food is imported to the tune of nearly 3 billion of our dollars leaving the state. When our supply chain could be disrupted overnight by a disaster and our store selves emptied in short order, we should not sit back,” she said. “Agricultural development is the backbone of food security and independence. It’s time to take proactive steps. Reliance on locally grown food increases economic and nutritional stability in the Last Frontier. This is an outcome we can all embrace.”

It’s also an outcome that small steps like community workshops can advance.

Anyone with questions about Saturday’s event can contact Hughes’ legislative aide, Eleilia Preston, by phone at 907-465-1172, or by email at Eleilia.Preston@akleg.gov.

“You don’t have to be an expert to get something out of this,” Preston said. “We want people in the community to understand that this is for everyone.” Hughes echoed that sentiment.

“This is an exciting opportunity for Alaskans of all stripes,” Hughes said. “Whether you’ve always wanted your own fresh eggs, thought raising goats might suit your fancy, are hungry for more knowledge about best gardening practices, or are ready to maximize productivity despite your small space, this event will be the perfect venue for you to network with friendly and helpful neighbors-in-the-know.”